Helicopter Still In Limbo after A Year

Department of Commerce investigators have been hard at working trying to decide if a sales deal for three Bell 412 choppers was illegal.  Two aircraft are already gone and a third has been sitting in a hangar in Dallas since it was detained in October 2008.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the copters were leased to Mexican company Helivan SA directly from Bell Helicopter. Helivan then reportedly sold the aircraft, without Bell's permission, to Tiber Aviation SRL. in Italy for about $22 million.

Tiber then contracted the Swiss shipping company Panalpina Inc. to transport the helos from North Texas to Italy. After shipping the first two choppers overseas, Panalpina claims a representative from Tiber asked for a quote for moving the aircraft to Iran. 

Robert Ernest, deputy general counsel for Panalpina, told the newspaper that the company declined the request and contacted the Dallas Commerce Department office. Since 1995, the US has imposed a trade embargo on Iran. The advanced avionics and night vision systems on the 412s are subject to restrictions.

"We don't want technology to go to Iran regardless of whether it will be used militarily or by civilian businesses," said Kenneth Wainstein, the Justice Department's former assistant attorney general for national security in Washington.

While the federal government is trying to determine who, if anyone, is in violation of trade agreements, the case has created a legal dispute between Bell and Tiber over ownership of the chopper. Court documents show Tiber refutes the claims that they planned to sell the helps to Iran.

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.com, www.commerce.gov