by R. Patrick Phillips

I often ask groups of pilots what FAR they think is violated the most frequently. Generally, the answer is pretty predictable. Most answer that it must be FAR 91.13, the catch-all “careless and reckless operation of an aircraft” that seems to accompany just about every operational FAR violation the FAA enforces.

This is fairly accurate, given the broad scope of situations in which 91.13 can be applied. This one aside, the most often violated FAR has got to be little-recognized FAR 61.15. The regulation itself encompasses being convicted of dealing drugs, but its primary application is in requiring the pilot to report convictions for driving under the…