| GENERAL INFORMATION
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| KEYWORDS
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Category 1 aviation medical certificate, head injury
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| FILE NO.
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Q-4437
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| SECTOR (Marine or Aviation)
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Aviation
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| SPECIFIC JOB
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Unknown
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| DIAGNOSIS (Primary, Secondary, etc.)
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Head trauma / subdural hematoma
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| REVIEW
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| DATE OF DETERMINATION
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March 26, 2020
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| MEMBER
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Dr. Robert Perlman
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| DETERMINATION
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The Minister’s decision is confirmed.
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| REASONS FOR THE DETERMINATION
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Suspension of a category 1 aviation medical certificate — The applicant suffered a head trauma following an aircraft accident and was diagnosed with a bruised frontal lobe with subdural hematoma, a fractured skull, cerebrospinal fluid leakage and dural tears requiring craniotomy and emergency neurosurgical repair. He did not show any persistent neurological symptoms in the three months following his head trauma and craniotomy, and his treating neurosurgeon ended postoperative care in June 2018. However, even though the applicant recovered clinically from his head trauma and his craniotomy within three months of his operation, it does not in any way diminish or eliminate the risk of late neurocognitive deficits or late epilepsy (for several years) that accompanies such a head trauma. Transport Canada (TC) was reasonable in suspending the applicant’s category 1 medical certificate at the time he did so, considering the overriding concern of aviation safety. The applicant's lack of responsibility as subsequently aggravated by the fact that he continued to fly after May 30, 2018, without the express authorization of his treating neurosurgeon and carried out solo flights several times after being declared unfit to fly by TC on July 4, 2018. In view of the serious head trauma which he had suffered in an aircraft accident, the applicant's actions demonstrated a lack of prudence and a lack of respect for aviation safety.
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| APPEAL
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| DATE OF DECISION
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| MEMBERS
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| DECISION
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| REASONS FOR THE DECISION
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| OTHER/COMMENTS
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