Air Trek award finalized

After losing its case against ­charter operator Air Trek of Punta Gorda, Fla., in March, the FAA petitioned the NTSB for reconsideration in an attempt to avoid having to pay $121,991.34 in attorney fees to Air Trek. At the time, the NTSB “held that the Administrator ‘should not have proceeded to a ­hearing on allegations of wrongdoing that he was not prepared to prove,’ and that the Agency refused to withdraw elements of its complaint until it ‘became painfully clear that the Administrator did not have sufficient evidence to establish its case,’” according to Air Trek attorney Gregory Winton. The NTSB told the FAA that its argument was “meritless,” Winton said, “and its reliance upon case law was ‘misleading.’” The Safety Board added another $2,553.97 to the Air Trek award, bringing the total to $124,527.31.