Air East appealing emergency revocation

Air East filed an appeal with the NTSB over the emergency revocation of its Part 135 certificate on March 8, grounding the Farmingdale, N.Y. charter operator. The action followed a 34-day FAA investigation of the company prompted by a fatal crash last August 4 of one of its Learjets in Groton, Conn. The agency alleges that over the last two years the company “failed to document pilot training to determine pilot qualifications, have sufficient and qualified management staff and perform required maintenance (including complying with ADs),” as well as a variety of other reporting and record-keeping violations. Air East attorney Gregory Winton told AIN, “We have responded to the allegations, which we feel have no merit.”