The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration, aka the FAA, proposes a $197,500 civil penalty against R&R Conner Aviation (RCA) of Conner, Montana, for allegedly operating a Bell UH-1B helicopter when it was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.
The FAA alleges that beginning on 16 September 2013, RCA operated the chopper on at least four flights around Detroit, Oregon, when it did not comply with four airworthiness directives and with parts that were past their replacement dates.
The airworthiness directives required regular inspections of the tail boom skin and fin spar cap area; a one-time inspection of the main rotor hub components; tracking and replacing rotating components; and tracking of the aircraft’s time in service and replacement date of the main rotor mast.
The FAA further alleges that RCA operated the aircraft with three components – tail rotor yoke, main rotor stabilizer center frame, and rotating control bolts – that were past their replacement dates.
Because of these violations, the aircraft was not airworthy, the FAA says. The agency further alleges that RCA operated the aircraft in a careless or reckless manner that endangered lives and property.
The FAA also says RCA did not keep proper records reflecting the status of the four airworthiness directives and of the life-limited parts.
RCA has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
