AN RAF doctor who wrote ‘misleading’ medical reports for a pilot who later died in a plane crash with a teenage passenger will have his future decided next week after a tribunal found him guilty of professional misconduct.
Dr Douglas Wyper assessed Mike Blee as ‘fit to fly’ in 2005 after recognising the retired RAF officer’s long-standing back condition had resulted in an ‘abnormal spine’.
But he showed a ‘blatant disregard’ for the potential consequences when he concluded Flt Lt Blee’s spine was ‘normal’ in health assessments to renew his pilot’s licence for the next three years, a tribunal found.
Flt Lt Blee, 62, and air cadet Nicholas Rice, 15, died when their light aircraft hit a glider in Drayton in June 2009.
A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death in 2012 after hearing a slight jolt could have broken the pilot’s spine, sparking an investigation by the General Medical Council.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel on Thursday found Dr Wyper guilty of professional misconduct and ruled his fitness to practise was impaired as a result.
If the tribunal decides to take action, the panel has the power to impose conditions on his registration, suspend him or strike him off the medical register.
The hearing concluded yesterday but the decision on whether to take further action was announced in private so that confidential matters relating to the doctor’s health would not be revealed.
The result of the hearing, along with reasons for the decision, will be made public on Monday.
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