Report Says Pilots Left Over Safety Issues

Improper repairs and undocumented maintenance procedures could have led -- at least in part -- to the December 19, 2005 accident that downed a Grumman G73 Mallard flying for Chalk's Ocean Air.

That's the word from NTSB investigators, who in recently released documents also said several pilots at the small, popular interisland operator quit their jobs over maintenance concerns, according to a report in USA Today.

Some of those complaints even came from Michele Marks, the pilot of the doomed plane.

"Michele was becoming scared and talked about maintenance concerns all the time," her husband, Mark Marks told investigators. "They were having close calls that were becoming more frequent."

She was not alone. Three of Chalk's six pilots quit in 2005, the paper reported, after they experienced inflight engine failures -- and an emergency stemming from a broken elevator cable.

"We love this company, and we are trying to avoid the inevitable disaster that will ensue if these issues are not addressed," pilot Grady Washatka wrote in his January 13, 2005 resignation letter. "I sincerely hope that Chalk's not only survives but also thrives well into the future. I realize, however, that the company's financial well-being is not worth my career, my integrity, and first and foremost should never come before our passengers' safety."

While the probable cause of the accident has not been officially determined, authorities with the safety board are said to be focusing on a nearly-16-inch crack found on the plane's right wing spar. In the NTSB's preliminary report released in January, investigators cited evidence of metal fatigue on the aircraft's wing spar.

On December 30 -- 11 days after the accident -- the FAA issued Emergency Airworthiness Directive 2006-01-51 requiring detailed inspections of the wings of all G-73 seaplanes.

As Aero-News reported extensively, 20 people were lost when the turboprop-equipped vintage amphibian crashed into Government Key near Miami, FL shortly after takeoff. Video footage of the accident showed the right wing separating from the body of the aircraft inboard of the engine.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov