FAA to fine Lodi $664,000

It's going to be interesting to learn more about what happened here.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_a39aee86-d6df-11df-a18e-001cc4c03286.html

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Wednesday proposed fining a feeder airline, Corporate Air, $455,000 for allowing a small airliner to carry passengers on 80 flights despite an engine that needed repair.

Separately, the Federal Aviation Administration also proposed fining an owner of a California parachute jumping operation $664,000 for flying a plane more than 2,600 times with critical equipment overdue for replacement and without making required inspections.

"The safety of the passengers and crew must be the top priority for any operator," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement. "All operators must comply with maintenance requirements."

Billings, Mont.,-based Corporate Air flew the Beech 1900C — a 19-passenger twin-engine turboprop plane — without repairing its right engine, which was consuming excessive amounts of oil, FAA said. Mechanics repeatedly added more oil when the plane landed despite directions in the engine manufacturer's service manual to make repairs, the agency said

Executives with Corporate Air didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has scheduled flights in eight states in addition to Montana: Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. It also operates six aircraft repair and maintenance facilities, according to a company website.

The FAA also said The Parachute Center of Acampo, in Northern California, operated a 20-passenger DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter on more than 2,600 flights when critical parts were well past their life limits and without inspecting portions of the wings for corrosion.

A man answering the phone at the parachute center declined to comment on the fine.

http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=16560

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http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=16560

The Federal Aviation Administration says it plans to fine William Dause, doing business as The Parachute Center of Acampo, $664,000 for allegedly failing to perform required aircraft parts replacements and failing to comply with safety directives.

“Putting parachutists at risk by neglecting to follow safety procedures is unacceptable,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood. “We expect aircraft operators to comply with our safety rules and will take enforcement action when they do not.”


“I don’t have any comment,” Mr. Dause tells CVBT. The company has been in business since 1964 and “is one of the largest and oldest in the United States,” its website says.


The FAA alleges that The Parachute Center operated a DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter when critical parts were well past their life limits and without inspecting portions of the wings for corrosion.


The government alleges that The Parachute Center operated the aircraft on approximately 2,121 flights between March 21, 2008 and Nov. 4, 2009 with elevator control cables that were overdue for replacement and when the plane was not in compliance with airworthiness directives requiring visual inspections of the wing main spar, lower spar cap extensions and wing support strut for possible corrosion.


The FAA also alleges that the company operated the aircraft on at least 500 flights between April 16, 2009 and Nov. 4, 2009 with aileron control cables that were overdue for replacement.


“Passengers and crew have to be able to trust that an operator has done the right thing and has complied with all the rules,” says FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “Safety and compliance are the right choices, every time.”


The Parachute Center has 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.

Damn..... I hate to see lack of MX.

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Damn..... I hate to see lack of MX.

Apparently Bill Dause was nice enough to pass on some of what he saved cutting corners in maintenance costs to the jumpers through lower jump prices.

Lodi jumpers, for your own safety, I think you should find a new DZ.

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Lodi jumpers, for your own safety, I think you should find a new DZ.

Won't happen. They'll insist that it's a great DZ, and that everyone there is like family, and pay no attention to the fact that the head of the family endangered all of their lives. This wasn't a single occurance, or short term problem, this was well over a year and 2100+ loads past due for MX, but the jumpers will figure out some way to justify it, and just keep jumping there.

The DZ is Bills kingdom, and he can rule it however he sees fit. The sky above the DZ, however, belongs to the FAA and up there they don't give a shit about Bill, how many jumps he has, or how low his ticket prices are.

Man. It's not like I needed another reason to never jump there…

being completely new to the sport, shitty maintenance on the a/c is one of my biggest fears. Going down in a plane is the one thing we have absolutely no control over.

This makes me sick. If true dude deserves more than a fine.

what do you mean "jumping out of a perfectly good airplane?"

This is exactly why I prefer to JUMP from airplanes and not land in them

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what do you mean "jumping out of a perfectly good airplane?"

I know we can't expect a perfectly good airplane, but I think we have every right to expect a properly maintained airplane.

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This is exactly why I prefer to JUMP from airplanes and not land in them

IIRC most engine failures occur on or just after takeoff... too low to bail and expect the canopy to open.

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This is exactly why I prefer to JUMP from airplanes and not land in them

IIRC most engine failures occur on or just after takeoff... too low to bail and expect the canopy to open.

If you have the air speed you can get out pretty low. Trade the speed for altitude and open horizontally.

Sparky

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This is exactly why I prefer to JUMP from airplanes and not land in them

IIRC most engine failures occur on or just after takeoff... too low to bail and expect the canopy to open.

If you have the air speed you can get out pretty low. Trade the speed for altitude and open horizontally.

Sparky

Im guessing in an engine out soon after take off, you probably aren't at top speed, especially once the pilot tells you to bail and you get unbuckled and the door open... But, I wouldn't know.

I'm guessing these recent maintenance concerns are only the tip of the iceberg.

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once the pilot tells you to bail and you get unbuckled

They wear seatbelts at lodi now?

Dave

I don't get why the skydivers on board didn't bail if the problem happened above 3900'.

I got the impression the problem STARTED at 3900, shortly followed by the second engine out.
Might have lost altitude rather rapidly?

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I'm guessing these recent maintenance concerns are only the tip of the iceberg.

You got that right!

The big point here is that Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood, a member of the Presidents Cabinet, made the following statement-

“Putting parachutists at risk by neglecting to follow safety procedures is unacceptable,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood. “We expect aircraft operators to comply with our safety rules and will take enforcement action when they do not.”

He said “parachutist.” He is talking to all of us. Believe me, for Transportation Secretary LaHood to make that statement, the FAA has all the proof they need about the neglected maintenance on the Twin Otter operated by The Parachute Center.

The heat is about to get turned up. And that is probably a good thing. The jump plane operators who properly maintain their aircraft will be fine and the few irresponsible operators, who trade your safety for profit, will hopefully get shut down.

FWIW, for the King Air accident at Pitt Meadows, BC that PhreeZone referenced, the original incident thread was /cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3287168

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once the pilot tells you to bail and you get unbuckled

They wear seatbelts at lodi now?

Dave

According to the USPA Regional Director that jumps there, no they don't enforce seat belt use.

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The big point here is that Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood, a member of the Presidents Cabinet.

This iceberg thing.... yea, just like the sport it's self... you only hear of the bad shit taking place, there are also some important people in high places taking a look @ skydiving.... while the "findings/rulings" have not been final/published/public yet, the outlook looks more positive for the sport as a whole.

However, one or two, three, four, bad apples shining the bad light on full power, at the wrong time could bring a lot of ($$$) hurt to everyone who is left standing.

On another note.... what was that guy's name who always was getting called a "agenda grinding prick" and out to get Bill and Lodi evey time he posted something that called in to question the MX @ that DZ?

Can't think of that dudes name..... you know the one from Cali everyone said was a loud mouth know nothing shit talker...... NO no no, not Bill Von! () That other Cali dude from up northern way.....

WTF is his name..... Just sometimes People can be very insightful in their statements. It's a shame that type of corner cutting stuff still takes place.

Maybe Bill will allow wingsuit jumping again, with this fine from the FAA? To help pay it off.

Thanks.

Sounds like they were at 2,000' when they lost power. Scary to read how fast a plane loses altitude after loss of power.