Honolulu Air Carrier Faces Allegations of Lax Documentation, Maintenance Procedures

The FAA has proposed the revocation of Honolulu-based Rhoades Aviation Inc.’s air carrier certificate, citing “numerous alleged safety violations”. 

In an announcement earlier this week, the agency alleged that Rhoades has failed to conduct itself with the appropriate level of professionalism, from lapses in recordkeeping, airworthiness, and operations. Rhoades Aviation, Inc appears to be the operator of the the Hawaiian cargo line Transair, as well as the air charter and tour operation Transair Global. The outfit gained some attention in 2021 when one of their 737-200s experienced an engine failure and ditched in the sea south of Oahu. 

First, the company “failed to maintain Safety Management System records,” among a litany of issues with its documentation. The FAA states that Rhoades failed to address issues found with its general operations manual, as well as proper safety risk management in its operational procedures. They allegedly failed to address discrepancies in its weight & balance procedures, runway analysis, and safety risk documentation. It also failed to provide revised company manuals to the FAA to correct the issues. 

Second, Rhoades Aviation was said to have operated a pair of Boeing 737s more than 900 times without ever adding the aircraft to its maintenance and inspection program. A similar issue led to another 737 flying on 33 trips while not airworthy, due to the usage of engine compressor fan blades that did not meet manufacturer standards. Similarly improper maintenance work on the same compressor systems was performed on other aircraft, the diagnosis of which was made difficult through the lack of proper documentation throughout the procedures. 

Finally, the administration said the company “committed numerous violations related to its FAA-required Safety Management System program, including failing to ensure that the program was properly implemented and performing in all areas of its organization.” Now, the company has 15 days to respond to the enforcement notice. 

FMI: www.faa.gov