SACRAMENTO — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment Wednesday, Feb. 12, against aircraft mechanic Randy L. Thompson, 65, of Anderson, charging Thompson with fraud involving aircraft parts, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents and documents obtained by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Thompson, who operates under the business name “Thompson’s Air” at the Red Bluff airport, was hired in 2010 to overhaul an aircraft engine for a customer in Pennsylvania, stated a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Sacramento.
As part of the overhaul, Thompson installed an engine crankshaft on the customer’s private airplane, the grand jury indictment states.
Prior to the installation, Thompson had twice sent the same crankshaft to FAA certified repair stations, and in both instances the repair stations had returned the part to Thompson with a tag documenting that the crankshaft was cracked and no longer suitable for use on an aircraft, allege investigators.
Nevertheless, Thompson installed the crankshaft and falsely certified that he had performed the engine overhaul in compliance with the FAA regulations and the engine manufacturer’s specifications, the indictment’s narrative continues.
After approximately 90 hours of operation, the crankshaft failed in flight, and the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in a field, states a release issued by Lauren Horwood of Wagner’s office.
No one was injured, Horwood noted.
Thompson is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, Feb. 14.
The case was the product of an investigation by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Matthew G. Morris is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, Horwood said.
Any sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables, advised Horwood’s release.
The grand jury’s charges are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, Horwood cautioned.
Source: http://www.andersonvalleypost.com
Federal indictment accuses Anderson mechanic of aircraft part fraud
A federal grand jury in Sacramento today returned an indictment charging an Anderson aircraft mechanic with fraud involving aircraft parts.
According to court documents and documents obtained by the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2010, Randy L. Thompson, 65, an aircraft mechanic who operated under the business name “Thompson Air,” was hired to overhaul an aircraft engine for a customer in Pennsylvania. As part of the overhaul, Thompson installed an engine crankshaft on the customer’s private plane.
Before the installation, Thompson had twice sent the same crankshaft to Federal Aviation Administration-certified repair stations. In both instances, the repair stations had returned the part to Thompson with a tag documenting that the crankshaft was cracked and no longer suitable for use on an aircraft, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. But Thompson allegedly installed the crankshaft and falsely certified that he had performed the engine overhaul in compliance with the FAA regulations and the engine manufacturer’s specifications.
After approximately 90 hours of operation, the crankshaft failed in flight, and the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in a field, officials said. No one was injured.
The case resulted from an investigation by the federal Department of Transportation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Source: http://www.sacbee.com
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