AOG Technics Boss Arrested in UK Investigation

The elusive head of a London-based company that falsified paperwork to pass off bum CFM engine bushings has been arrested in the UK, with Venezuelan national Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala taken in by the "Serious Fraud Office".

The parts have continued to find their way throughout the industry, even for carriers stateside like American Airlines and Southwest. The issue first gained serious American attention when the FAA began a Suspected Unapproved Parts investigation, becoming suspicious of paperwork tendered by AOG Technics LTD. The Form 8130-3 associated with the bushings purported to be an approved production piece for the GE Model CF6 engine, but a keen eye quickly discovered that many of the fields strayed from the usual format. Missing information, conspicuously grayed-out data blocks, and unusual formatting all piqued the FAA's interest in exactly where the mystery parts came from. They issued an Unapproved Parts Notification on September 21, 2023, kicking off a flurry of activity throughout the airline industry at home and abroad.

The ensuing investigation by the UK's Serious Fraud Office continued to uncover an operation with distinct grifter-like themes, with everything from invented employees boasting stock photography on LinkedIn to a PO box near Buckingham Palace for imagined clout. Yrala's resume apparently consists of an extended stint as an electronic music performer in his hometown of Caracas, beginning in 2005. He founded AOG Technics in the United Kingdom in 2015 after a few years working in the aviation industry, reportedly working as a middleman for aircraft parts. His scheme began to unravel as customers began to question the apparent age of parts they had purchased - used parts sold as new, apparently a trend. The issue wasn't just bushings, according to the Brits - dampers, turbines too were accompanied by suspicious paperwork and invented signatures.

The saga is likely just beginning, as these long criminal prosecutions often are at this stage. Yrala's arrest may soon lead to further discoveries across the industry as carriers unravel the web of unsanctioned and unapproved engine parts.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.sfo.gov.uk