Originally Posted by
Macjet
No, they can't. The arrest will always be a part of your record but the expunged records do not exist unless you commit a second offense in the same jurisdiction.
May not work for the FBI database. That is an intelligence/national security resource not just a law enforcement resource. I don't believe they ever delete anything.
It's an unfortunate regulatory quirk that airlines have access to that, and can apparently see information that a normal employer would not. IMO the FAA or TSA should have set policies for determining a pilot's moral fitness and should they make that determination internally, rather than allowing private companies access to the raw data.
Also private background-check companies take "snapshots" of data, and there may not be any law preventing them from keeping it forever to re-sell to employers...even after an event is expunged.
And there's always google...
Bottom line it's hard to say exactly what an airline might turn up, so read the question carefully and answer precisely. Personally I would rather not get hired by airline A but still have a shot at airline B. If you get fired for lying, airline B,C,D, etc are not going to touch you either (mesa might, but you don't want to work there is you can help it).