FAA to fine Lodi $664,000

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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.

Naw, that guy is an asshole..... wouldn't listen to a thing he's got to say....

Naw, that guy is an asshole..... wouldn't listen to a thing he's got to say....

If you say so...I'll trust ya on these things!

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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.

When I was getting my JM ticket, my pilot,mentor,JM friend did me the HUGE favor of doing a mock engine out at 1000ft. I'll not put the long story of what happened here, but I will say this much: 1000 Ft is a lot lower than you think in an engine out situation, and it was clear to me that there would be no way for me to get my students out of the 182 from in time from that altitude. At that time, I made my students keep their belts on until 1500. The DZ i jump at now has that as their policy for all jumpers, and I think it is a very good thing.

Hi Jack,

It is a little uncanny how you & I think somewhat alike.

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

When I first read that the first thought that came to mind was that it was now out of the FAA and even higher up. IMO It is a very rare day in which a Cabinet member would make such a statement regarding such an incident.

The feds have virtually an unlimited number of lawyers and resources to enforce this should they dig in & choose to do so.

Just my thoughts . . .

JerryBaumchen

PS) The agency that I worked at for 30 yrs had over 100 attorneys on staff; out of a total employee count of ~3500.

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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.

Ya might think a USPA Regional Direcor would steer clear of a DZ that doesn't enforce FAR's. A Director jumping there sure looks a lot like an endorsement of the operation.

But then again, hypocracy has never been a problem with some at the head shed.

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Naw, that guy is an asshole..... wouldn't listen to a thing he's got to say....

Whatever you say, JP.

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Ya might think a USPA Regional Direcor would steer clear of a DZ that doesn't enforce FAR's.

And miss the opportunity to save a few bucks per ticket? Screw the BSRs, SIM, FAR's and any sign of common sense...

I'm pro lodi, so take this comment for what you will.

Bill can be an asshole, but he's done more for skydiving then anyone I have ever met.

Was there corrosion found on the wing, or was there no note of inspection, or what.

What were the critical parts that needed replacing?? were they fucked, or past there manufactured life limits, or past there recomended life limit. Or had they been inspected by a mechanic and deemed ok?

It would be great to get some more facts on this, if anyone has got any?? Pm if need be.

Has this plane been grounded?? or is this a report from last year??

3 years in the sport. How many people could you have possibly met?

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Bill can be an asshole, but he's done more for skydiving then anyone I have ever met

Like what? Ignoring replacing elevator and aileron cables to the degree that the FAA took notice, and levied a fine of $664,000.

You're exactly the guy I was talking about above. You'll do anything you can to find a way to make this right, but it's just not. The fact that the FAA has anything to do with this should be a huge red flag, but for some reason, you're chossing not to notice that.

How about the President's Secretaryof Transportation commenting on this issue, does that mean anything to you? Do you realize that the scope of his responsibilities include every commercial flight, train, auto/truck, and boat activity in the US, and this is what he takes his time to comment on? I'm sure that he personally has nothing to do with this, or the comment he released, but his office and staff deemed this situation a target issue that warranted a comment, and that should casue some real concern on the part of anyone flying on any of Bill's aircraft, and anyone operating a sub-par jumpship anywhere in the US.

I don't expect any jumper to be 100% on top of the maintenence schedule of any plane, but more to develop a level of trust with the aircraft operator, and either through experience or witnessing hwo they handle other business, have a reason to believe that the aircraft is being properly maintained.

However, when it is clearly revealed by the highest aviation authority in this counrty that this is not the case, and that the shortcomings are significant enough in scope to garner a fine of $664,000, you have to wake up and see the forest from the trees.

18 months and 2100+ loads flown with over-due elevator cables. 6 months and 500+ of those laods flown with outdated aileron calbes, and no corrosion inspection of key structures that keep the wings on the fuselage.

Don't write this shit off. Here are the important parts of the Transport Canada report on the crashed King Air that was also on the Lodi 'maintenence program-

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The left engine and its components were torn down, inspected, and tested with a TSB investigator present. The only significant anomaly found was that the high-pressure, engine-driven fuel pump drive splines were worn and corroded beyond the point of failure (see Photo 4 and Photo 5). Without fuel being supplied from the high-pressure fuel pump to the fuel control unit, the engine will shut down immediately.

Aircraft Records and Maintenance
A review of the aircraft records indicates that, from 01 April 2006 to 06 March 2008 (approximately 23 months), the aircraft flew 402 hours. PWC Service Bulletin (SB) 1803R2 specifies a maximum time before overhaul (TBO) of 3600 hours. At the time of the occurrence, the left engine had exceeded this TBO; it had accumulated 4435 hours in service since its last overhaul completed in 1999. The right engine had accumulated 2478 hours since its last overhaul. Records also indicate that the manufacturer's Phase 3 and Phase 4 inspections of the airframe and engines were accomplished in Lodi, California, United States, on 06 March 2008 and the aircraft had flown approximately 170 hours since that date.

One of the items listed on the maintenance check sheet required inspection of the high-pressure fuel pump of both engines. It indicated the following: "Engine-driven fuel pump coupling shaft – Inspect for fretting and/or corrosion when replacing outlet filter." While the inspection for the right-hand engine was initialled as completed by the Airframe and Power-Plant (A&P) mechanic, the same item for the left engine was marked as not applicable (N/A). The mechanic was not aware of the procedure in the PWC Maintenance Manual, which details how to inspect the splines in situ using a cotton swab.

Maintenance Program
The aircraft utilization was less than 300 hours annually. It was operated in accordance with FAR 91 regulations, and should have been inspected and maintained in accordance with FAR 91.409(e) and 91.409(f)(3), which states in part: "...and the current inspection program recommended by the manufacturer..."

The operator, Bill Dause, believed that, under FAR 91, the engines could be run on condition3 and that they were not required to perform oil analysis, boroscope inspections, or engine condition trend monitoring and analysis to support this on condition program. PWC SB 1803R2 gives operators options on how to apply for an escalation program to the TBO for the PT6 engine series. It states: "...This SB also provides TBO extension procedures for operators with an average utilization higher than 300 hours/year." Furthermore, SB 1803R2 also states that skydiving operations are not eligible for an escalation program.

The entire report, linked in an above post, is worth reading, and the pictures are quite telling.

Put it all together. This is not a good situation for anyone in skydiving, and most notably anyone jumping out of aircraft 'maintained' by Bill Dause. No offense, but get your head of your ass, and realize that maybe you don't know Bill quite as well as you think you do.

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Bill can be an asshole, but he's done more for skydiving then anyone I have ever met.

Like what?

CHEAPER TICKETS

I'm as big a Sport Death fan as anyone, but those days are mostly over. If you go in on takeoff, riding a plane after knowing about stuff like this, people will still feel bad for you...but they'll also think you're kind of a dumbass for even being on it.

Yeah, the tickets are cheap, but it ain't the '70s anymore.

Kevin Keenan
Titusville FL

>>No more $10 Sunday's I guess. Man what a bummer. Guess I'll have to go jump some place else

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I'm pro lodi, so take this comment for what you will.

Bill can be an asshole, but he's done more for skydiving then anyone I have ever met.

Was there corrosion found on the wing, or was there no note of inspection, or what.

What were the critical parts that needed replacing?? were they fucked, or past there manufactured life limits, or past there recomended life limit. Or had they been inspected by a mechanic and deemed ok?

It would be great to get some more facts on this, if anyone has got any?? Pm if need be.

Has this plane been grounded?? or is this a report from last year??

Let me put in perspective for you exactly what he is doing for skydiving right now. Fucking the rest of us.

How does that saying go, one bad apple can ruin the rest? What you don't realize is that by not maintaining his aircraft, he is putting the spotlight on the rest of us. Most of us running dropzones spend a good deal of money because we want to maintain our aircraft and keep them safe and flying well. The things that we are doing, work. When people cut corners and try to cheap out on aircraft maintenance, the FAA gets pissed off. All that is going to do is cause them to come down hard on the whole industry and we will find ourselves having to do even more stuff, with more reporting and regulations and more money.

So when Bill stops flying because the FAA shuts him down or the costs are just too high, you're going to be stuck with the rest of us who are willing to deal with more absurd maintenance requirements AND you're going to have to pay a whole hell of a lot more for a jump ticket.

So, what exactly is the point you're trying to make?

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All that is going to do is cause them to come down hard on the whole industry and we will find ourselves having to do even more stuff, with more reporting and regulations and more money.

Actually it might draw focus, to everyone that I agree with. But to say everyone is going to have to do more is a little extreme. The FAA will probably keep the same rules that are supposed to be followed anyways. So in reality it "shouldn't" cost anyone anymore money, it will just force DZO's to do what they are supposed to be doing in the first place.

Sure, cuz you haven't met many big players in the sport,,,,,,and you got a ton to learn kid,,,,stand back and take all in and learn kid,,,it'll do you good...

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What were the critical parts that needed replacing?? were they fucked, or past there manufactured life limits, or past there recomended life limit. Or had they been inspected by a mechanic and deemed ok?

It would be great to get some more facts on this, if anyone has got any??

FACT #1 - All the items listed by the FAA, whether a Life Limited item or a Special Inspection (i.e. the corrosion inspection of the wing) are found in PSM 1-6-11, which is the Structural Life Limit Manual for the Twin Otter. MANDATORY COMPLIANCE

FACT #2 - Back in the day there were many operators that did not comply with PSM 1-6-11, because it was not part of the Limitations Section of the Maintenance Manual. The Limitations Section is the only part of the Maintenance Manual that is FAA Approved and technically if not listed there it could be deemed RECOMMENDED by the operator.
So, what did the FAA do? They issued an Airworthiness Directive, in 2008, that stated that ALL operators MUST comply with the requirements of PSM 1-6-11. The FAA does not take to kindly when someone blatently ignores an AD.

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Sure, cuz you haven't met many big players in the sport,,,,,,and you got a ton to learn kid,,,,stand back and take all in and learn kid,,,it'll do you good...

your use of commas is troubling

It really does not matter how much evidence the FAA has, it does not matter what is said, what proof is shown, how many people get hurt.

It is Bill Dause's DZ, he gets full support of the USPA Board of Directors, full support of all the regional directors, then of course the following of the "$15/$10" jump tickets. These people do not care about safety, or what is right, or even what is reqired by law.

In their eyes Bill is a god because of cheap jumps and 30,000 skydives. In their eyes some must have set Bill up, an old employee must have torn the pages out of the aircraft records and then called the FAA. Every thing that happens to Bill is because of a old employee.

Lord forbid we expect Bill to take responsibility for not changing out a life limited part because he was required to. Lord forbid we expect Bill to spend the same amount of money that all other DZO's spend to maintain the aircraft in the required manner. Lord forbid Bill should have to do the required maintence and inspections required by the FAA as all other aircraft owners have to do.

You guys are right, we need to get a petiton started to demand the FAA drop all charges and fines, that the USPA give Bill another safety award to prove what a great guy he is, and finally our USPA President Jay Stokes step up to the press again and defend Bill to the Secretary of Transportation LaHood and the head of the FAA and tell every one again how Bill has ran a reputable and safe dropzone since 1962

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.....he gets full support of the USPA Board of Directors, full support of all the regional directors...

As I understand it, Dausneyland is not USPA. How do you figure he's getting their support (other than the fact the a director apparently jumps there).

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It is Bill Dause's DZ, he gets full support of the USPA Board of Directors, full support of all the regional directors

Why do you say that? Lodi is not a USPA group member dropzone. What type of "support" do you see the entire Board providing? Yes, it's no secret that the Pacific Regional Director considers that his home dropzone (it's in his dz.com profile, so it ain't like he's trying to hide anything), but other than Craig, what other "support" do you see the rest of the board providing?

Genuine question - I'm curious why you say this.

OH, if you go to this link

http://cbs13.com/local/FAA.Investigates.Acampo.2.1323579.html

You will see when Bill went under the investigation that uncovered alot of things and Bill's planes got grounded for the unaccomplished inspection and the out dated parts, our USPA president jumped on the band wagon to defend Bill with the following quote

"Bill Dause opened the Parachute Center in 1964. Supporters, like the President of the United States Parachute Association, who skydived here, say the center in Acampo is reputable.

"He does run a very safe operation here, he does have a good track record here," says Jay Stokes, President, United States Parachute Association."

So the board lets this type of support go uncorrected. Our President it supporting and trying to impress on people what a great guy and what a great dropzone this place is by this statement.

No matter how you look at it, in the office of the President of the USPA he showed his support and the support of our board of directors and our organization with this statement for a dropzone that is not even a member dropzone.

The public at large who saw this story will think the same thing, that the USPA supports him and he is a member.

Oh and lets not forget the safety award given to him by the USPA, that is also more support from the board of directors. Escpecailly since it was given to him and made public during the FAA investigation to try and make the public think the USPA believes he is safe.

Evidently the UPSA board of directors were wrong, gonna take back your award?