Sat, Dec 05, 2009
FAA Proposes $4 Million Civil Penalty for Spitfire Aviation
Services
The dear old FAA has set its sights on a charter operation that
seems to have been flying a mite outside the regs. The FAA has
proposed a $4 million civil penalty for Spitfire Aviation Services,
LLC, of Fayetteville, Ark., for numerous violations of the
FARs.
The alleged violations include conducting at least 798
passenger-carrying revenue flights between November 2005 and
October 2007, even though Spitfire held no air carrier certificate
or the appropriate operations specifications required under federal
regulations for charter operators. Inspectors also found that 262
of those flights were conducted by a pilot who did not hold an Air
Transport Pilot Certificate with the appropriate type rating for
the aircraft being flown.
Spitfire had no FAA-approved pilot training and testing program
in place, nor the approved maintenance program or drug testing and
alcohol misuse prevention programs required by the government.
During its investigation, the FAA determined that Spitfire operated
three aircraft, including a Cessna CE-550 Citation, a Beechcraft
BE-20 and a Beechcraft BE-36, on charter flights primarily in the
central and southern United States. The FAA became aware of the
violations through a complaint from a competitor.
During the time it was operating in violation of regulations,
Spitfire experienced a crash that destroyed the BE-36 and resulted
in the death of the pilot. The three passengers on that flight
survived the accident.
Spitfire Aviation Services has 30 days from the receipt of the
civil penalty letter to respond to the FAA.
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