AMES, Iowa (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration retested the flight skills of Iowa State University President Steven Leath after he damaged a university plane on a rough landing.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said Monday that Leath had satisfactory results on the check ride in August 2015 and was allowed to keep his pilot certificate.
FAA rules say that such rides are usually required after accidents or incidents when the pilot’s competence was the apparent cause of what happened.
Leath has blamed windy conditions for his landing at the Central Illinois Regional Airport in July 2015 that damaged both wings of the school’s Cirrus SR22 single engine plane.
After The Associated Press revealed the accident last month, Leath vowed to stop flying university planes and made a $15,000 donation to cover the repair costs.
