Narrative:

A student of mine made an unauthorized and unendorsed solo cross country flight to gainesville. I was unaware that this student was going on this flight because he did not receive or request an endorsement from me to make this flight, nor did he advise he had an engine failure and was forced to make a controled crash landing. Thankfully, the student was not injured in this accident. Following the unfortunate accident, I reviewed the student's documents and discovered on nov/xa/97, that I had failed to endorse the back side of his medical certificate which allows the student to fly solo cross country. This was an oversight on my part and I have corrected the problem by giving the endorsement. The endorsement is dated nov/xb/97, as that is the actual date I signed the back of the certificate. The student had all the prerequisites to the endorsement and was entitled to the endorsement. In addition to the foregoing, I discovered on nov/xc/97 that this student has made several more solo flts without my knowledge or endorsement. These flts have been to deland, pr, and gainesville. Also, there are 3 entries where the student flew solo to new smyrna. The first 2 of these flts occurred because I told him to go to the same place as he did during his initial solo. I did not realize that the flts flown to new smyrna should have actually been flown to flagler as his initial endorsement authority/authorized him to do. At this time I was convinced that new smyrna was the location of his initial flight endorsement and, therefore, I did not question the 2 flts to new smyrna logged after that date. When the student and I were discussing the location of his next local flight, I told spi to 'go to new smyrna because that is where you went initially solo and you already have that endorsement.' the student did not correct my assumption at that time and I did not discover the mistake until last wkend. Additionally, when I did mistakenly give him permission to go to new smyrna, he went to deland instead. I take full responsibility for failing to check the student's logbook to see what endorsement he already had prior to giving him verbal permission to go to new smyrna. However, as history has already established, the student did not go to new smyrna at that time anyway. My main mistake here is that I trusted my student and I should have verified that he had flown to the correct locations sooner. When questioned about the above referenced flts, the student claims that he misunderstood my instructions and thought he could go to any local airport. However, I do not accept that explanation because I have consistently advised all my students that they must have an individual endorsement for every airport and every solo flight. Giving the student the benefit of a doubt, I have terminated my involvement with the student because I do not feel that I can fully impress upon him the necessity of following the FARS concerning obtaining endorsements prior to making flts. I always try to impress upon my students the importance of this, but somewhere in my discussions with spi he obviously did not grasp the importance. Although I feel spi has exhibited exceptional ability during our flts, I can no longer accept the responsibility of instructing this student due to his blatant and constant disregard of my instructions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT RPT REGARDING AN SPI WHO FLEW SOLO FLTS WITHOUT AN ENDORSEMENT. HE ALSO WENT TO ARPTS OTHER THAN THOSE FOR WHICH HE WAS ENDORSED. INSTRUCTOR DISCOVERED THIS AFTER THE FACT. INSTRUCTOR HAD ALSO FAILED TO ENDORSE HIS MEDICAL STUDENT PLT CERTIFICATE.

Narrative: A STUDENT OF MINE MADE AN UNAUTH AND UNENDORSED SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT TO GAINESVILLE. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THIS STUDENT WAS GOING ON THIS FLT BECAUSE HE DID NOT RECEIVE OR REQUEST AN ENDORSEMENT FROM ME TO MAKE THIS FLT, NOR DID HE ADVISE HE HAD AN ENG FAILURE AND WAS FORCED TO MAKE A CTLED CRASH LNDG. THANKFULLY, THE STUDENT WAS NOT INJURED IN THIS ACCIDENT. FOLLOWING THE UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT, I REVIEWED THE STUDENT'S DOCUMENTS AND DISCOVERED ON NOV/XA/97, THAT I HAD FAILED TO ENDORSE THE BACK SIDE OF HIS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WHICH ALLOWS THE STUDENT TO FLY SOLO XCOUNTRY. THIS WAS AN OVERSIGHT ON MY PART AND I HAVE CORRECTED THE PROB BY GIVING THE ENDORSEMENT. THE ENDORSEMENT IS DATED NOV/XB/97, AS THAT IS THE ACTUAL DATE I SIGNED THE BACK OF THE CERTIFICATE. THE STUDENT HAD ALL THE PREREQUISITES TO THE ENDORSEMENT AND WAS ENTITLED TO THE ENDORSEMENT. IN ADDITION TO THE FOREGOING, I DISCOVERED ON NOV/XC/97 THAT THIS STUDENT HAS MADE SEVERAL MORE SOLO FLTS WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR ENDORSEMENT. THESE FLTS HAVE BEEN TO DELAND, PR, AND GAINESVILLE. ALSO, THERE ARE 3 ENTRIES WHERE THE STUDENT FLEW SOLO TO NEW SMYRNA. THE FIRST 2 OF THESE FLTS OCCURRED BECAUSE I TOLD HIM TO GO TO THE SAME PLACE AS HE DID DURING HIS INITIAL SOLO. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE FLTS FLOWN TO NEW SMYRNA SHOULD HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN FLOWN TO FLAGLER AS HIS INITIAL ENDORSEMENT AUTH HIM TO DO. AT THIS TIME I WAS CONVINCED THAT NEW SMYRNA WAS THE LOCATION OF HIS INITIAL FLT ENDORSEMENT AND, THEREFORE, I DID NOT QUESTION THE 2 FLTS TO NEW SMYRNA LOGGED AFTER THAT DATE. WHEN THE STUDENT AND I WERE DISCUSSING THE LOCATION OF HIS NEXT LCL FLT, I TOLD SPI TO 'GO TO NEW SMYRNA BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE YOU WENT INITIALLY SOLO AND YOU ALREADY HAVE THAT ENDORSEMENT.' THE STUDENT DID NOT CORRECT MY ASSUMPTION AT THAT TIME AND I DID NOT DISCOVER THE MISTAKE UNTIL LAST WKEND. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN I DID MISTAKENLY GIVE HIM PERMISSION TO GO TO NEW SMYRNA, HE WENT TO DELAND INSTEAD. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAILING TO CHK THE STUDENT'S LOGBOOK TO SEE WHAT ENDORSEMENT HE ALREADY HAD PRIOR TO GIVING HIM VERBAL PERMISSION TO GO TO NEW SMYRNA. HOWEVER, AS HISTORY HAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED, THE STUDENT DID NOT GO TO NEW SMYRNA AT THAT TIME ANYWAY. MY MAIN MISTAKE HERE IS THAT I TRUSTED MY STUDENT AND I SHOULD HAVE VERIFIED THAT HE HAD FLOWN TO THE CORRECT LOCATIONS SOONER. WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT THE ABOVE REFED FLTS, THE STUDENT CLAIMS THAT HE MISUNDERSTOOD MY INSTRUCTIONS AND THOUGHT HE COULD GO TO ANY LCL ARPT. HOWEVER, I DO NOT ACCEPT THAT EXPLANATION BECAUSE I HAVE CONSISTENTLY ADVISED ALL MY STUDENTS THAT THEY MUST HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL ENDORSEMENT FOR EVERY ARPT AND EVERY SOLO FLT. GIVING THE STUDENT THE BENEFIT OF A DOUBT, I HAVE TERMINATED MY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE STUDENT BECAUSE I DO NOT FEEL THAT I CAN FULLY IMPRESS UPON HIM THE NECESSITY OF FOLLOWING THE FARS CONCERNING OBTAINING ENDORSEMENTS PRIOR TO MAKING FLTS. I ALWAYS TRY TO IMPRESS UPON MY STUDENTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS, BUT SOMEWHERE IN MY DISCUSSIONS WITH SPI HE OBVIOUSLY DID NOT GRASP THE IMPORTANCE. ALTHOUGH I FEEL SPI HAS EXHIBITED EXCEPTIONAL ABILITY DURING OUR FLTS, I CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF INSTRUCTING THIS STUDENT DUE TO HIS BLATANT AND CONSTANT DISREGARD OF MY INSTRUCTIONS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.