CASA Media Release - Friday, 8 June 2001
Alice Springs Air Charter grounded
Alice Springs Air Charter is being grounded by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
CASA will cancel the Air Operators Certificate of Alice Springs Air Charter at midnight on 8 June 2001.
The cancellation follows evidence that Alice Springs Air Charter has breached numerous aviation regulations, as well as provisions of the Civil Aviation Act.
The breaches are in five key areas, with evidence they have been occurring over at least the last four years. This is despite assurances on numerous occasions from the company that previous breaches detected by CASA were being corrected.
Alice Springs Air Charter's breaches include:
- failure to ensure aircraft defects and permissible unserviceabilities are managed properly;
- failure to maintain aircraft log books properly;
- failure to provide proper operational documents to all flight crews;
- failure to maintain accurate and up-to-date flight and duty time records for pilots; and
- failure to adequately control and supervise the conduct of pilots and the Chief Pilot.
During a CASA audit of the company in February 2001 a total of 11 defects on five different aircraft were discovered that had not been reported by pilots.
These defects included doors not fitting correctly, heavy oil contamination of an engine, a stall warning that did not appear to work and significant play in an elevator trim tab. While it is highly likely pilots were aware of these defects, none were recorded on the proper maintenance documents.
This led CASA to conclude:
"...this is evidence that the pilots had come to the view, over time, that nothing would be done about matters such as these, that the recording of defects of this nature was not encouraged by the company, and that the poor condition of the aircraft was simply something that they would have to put up with in order to retain their jobs."
Alice Springs Air Charter operate 10 Piper, Beech and Cessna aircraft in the charter and aerial work category.
Media contact
Peter Gibson
ph 02 6217 1015
mobile 0419 296 446
Ref: MR0128