MRO provider Ecolift Corporation of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has surrendered its repair station certificate after the FAA alleged the company repeatedly performed aircraft maintenance work for which it was not authorized. The list of eight allegations includes the performance of an unauthorized altimeter correlation check on a Beechcraft 1900C, audio control panel installation on an MD Helicopters MD600N, and transponder inspection and tests on an Airbus Helicopters EC130 and a Robinson R44.
“In each instance of alleged unauthorized maintenance work, the company signed documents stating it had performed the work according to the applicable federal aviation regulations and approved the aircraft for return to service,” the FAA said.
The regulator further alleges in an emergency order to revoke Ecolift’s certificate that it failed to properly document maintenance performed on the engines of a Bell 427 and allowed an unauthorized person to sign off on maintenance work performed on a Bell 407GX and 206L4.
Before discovering Ecolift’s unauthorized activities, the FAA found earlier instances of the company performing unauthorized maintenance and had worked with it to develop a corrective action plan between 2016 and 2018, according to the FAA. Between 2018 and 2019 the regulator notified Ecolift that it was continuing to perform unauthorized maintenance.