I’ve seen a few people mentioning medical certifications, but nobody has mentioned that 8 years ago the FAA passed a system called BasicMed which allows pilots to continue flying without getting a medical examination as long as they meet certain conditions. The plane must not exceed 6,000 lbs and must carry less than six passengers. You also can’t have failed your last medical exam. The plane he crashed had a maximum takeoff weight of 5,500 lbs and only carried two people. As long as he flew below 18,000 ft and 250 knots, he was legal (I’m not saying anything about whether he was healthy enough to fly).
In all likelihood he hadn’t had a physical in 8 years. He still would have had to have passed one in his eighties, but he probably hadn’t had an FAA exam in a while.
Source: I’m a private pilot and my dad in his 60s is as well, he flies on BasicMed because he hates going to the doc.
Edit: someone actually had mentioned BasicMed a few minutes before I started typing, but I’ll leave my comment up.
In all likelihood he hadn’t had a physical in 8 years. He still would have had to have passed one in his eighties, but he probably hadn’t had an FAA exam in a while.
Source: I’m a private pilot and my dad in his 60s is as well, he flies on BasicMed because he hates going to the doc.
Edit: someone actually had mentioned BasicMed a few minutes before I started typing, but I’ll leave my comment up.