School Grounds Planes Following Loss Of Co-Owner

Kemper Aviation, based at Lantana Airport in south Florida, is at the center of federal investigations into three fatal accidents in less than six months, which have killed eight people. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to publish probable cause reports about a year after each accident, and the FAA is conducting a review of the school's maintenance operation on no particular timetable.

Now, the Associated Press reports two South Florida congressmen want FAA action against the school immediately. US Representatives Ron Klein of Boca Raton and Robert Wexler of Delray Beach, both Democrats, want the FAA to prioritize its review of Kemper Aviation.

"On its face, with all these accidents, common sense would tell you this company has some problems and something is wrong," said Klein, in asking for the expedited investigation. Wexler added the string of accidents sounded "preventable."

The school is one of the busiest in the nation, yet has accumulated only three maintenance-related citations from the FAA in its entire 18-year history -- suggesting the recent fatalities could be nothing more than a statistical cluster.

After fatal crashes this past October and December, however, a few current and former students and instructors complained Kemper's planes were poorly maintained.

If the FAA determines faulty maintenance played a role in the accidents, it could impose penalties ranging from warnings, to stiff fines, all the way up to ordering the school shut down.

That may all be moot point. The latest accident, on Thursday, killed four people, including Jeff Rozelle, co-owner of Kemper Aviation.

AP reports it was told by a spokesperson the school has grounded all its planes until further notice.

FMI: www.flight101.com, www.faa.gov