Rick,
I don't know of any actual incidents where an FAA employee "tricked" someone into surrendering their license on the pretext of only examining it. This FAA employee asked the examinee to voluntarily turn in his license to him on the spot. If that was an illegal request, I wouldn't doubt the examiner didn't realize it as he's been called out before for requesting things outside the PTS or requesting a questionable maneuver given excessive winds (eg. downwind landing after a takeoff emergency).
Since this is an ongoing case, I don't feel comfortable detailing the questions asked or the particulars. The pilot in question will be going to another district office to accomplish his 709 retake or whatever the process is to clear his license as he is really upset about how this is going here. He's tried to be upfront about everything only to have anything he's said thrown back at him as proof of pilot error even though it could be taken otherwise just as reasonably. For the oral, I would venture to say that if every PP candidate were asked the "airworthiness" questions that were supposedly missed, not a single one would pass. It went well beyond, what's an AD or what inspections must an aircraft have.
