Duckworth’s husband flew plane after registration expired

The trouble is, flight records obtained by the Washington Examiner show the plane was flown four times (two round-trip flights) after the registration expired. One trip was taken on Sep. 14, 2014, and the other was taken between Nov. 8 and Nov. 15, 2014.

The Federal Aviation Administration states that: “Operation of an unregistered aircraft may subject the operator to civil penalty.” To date, no fine has been assessed.

Matt McGrath, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Illinois, responded to an Examiner request regarding the unregistered plane dispute, saying it was Bowlsbey — not Duckworth — who flew the plane after the registration expired.

“Late last year, Bryan unwittingly operated the plane after its registration had lapsed,” McGrath wrote in an email. “Once made aware of the oversight, Bryan and Tammy sought immediately to rectify the situation, and the plane’s FAA registration is current.”

Bowlsbey, a major in the Army National Guard, had been living in Virginia while serving on active duty. When he moved to Illinois, he updated his address for his personal pilot’s license, assuming that would automatically update the address for the aircraft’s registration. That was not the case.

The registration renewal notice was sent to Bowlsbey’s old Virginia address and not forwarded to his Illinois address, according to Duckworth’s Senate campaign. He also said that Duckworth was not in the plane as either pilot or passenger. She was in the late stages of pregnancy during the September flight and gave birth just days after the November flight.

“Gaining her civilian pilot’s license and flying again after losing her legs serving as a combat helicopter pilot in Iraq is one of Tammy’s proudest accomplishments, and — while not fancy — this single-engine 1959 Piper aircraft helps Tammy and Bryan share their mutual love of flying,” McGrath said.