FAA Seeks $514k Penalty from Parts Supplier

The FAA is seeking a $514,558 civil penalty against Aerospace Support International of Doral, Florida, for allegedly selling ball bearings without the proper airworthiness documentation. These bearings are used in a component that ensures that the aircraft generator provides steady electrical power.

According to the allegation contained in a civil penalty letter, between March 2015 and July 2017 the aerospace parts broker “intentionally duplicated the proper airworthiness documentation of bearings it purchased legitimately to fraudulently attest to the airworthiness of dozens of other bearings it sold numerous times to four separate companies.”

Companies purchasing the parts were Ametec MRO, Safe Fuel Systems, Silver Wings Aerospace, and Triumph Group. Aerospace Support International is also a supplier of parts to Boeing, Airbus, PWA, Parker, Honeywell, MOOG, Liebherr, and Hamilton Sundstrand.

The agency also contends the company duplicated other paperwork that documented the bearings were made to an industry or commercial standard by an FAA-approved parts manufacturer. Aerospace Support International’s “deliberate and intentional action resulted in a serious risk to the flying public,” the FAA asserts.

Aerospace Support International has asked to meet with the FAA to discuss the case. The company declined further comment but has until later this week before the agency will take any further action.