Aviation Crimes - A U.S. aircraft repairman is looking for ways to cut costs

Aviation Crimes

A U.S. aircraft repairman is looking for ways to cut costs. He’s heard that the alternators used in piston-powered general aviation aircraft are identical to automotive ones, except for the data plate and price, with the aircraft ones costing about four times as much as the automotive.

The mechanic picks up a used automotive alternator cheap from a junkyard, cleans it up and paints it, fabricates and attaches a reasonable facsimile of an aircraft alternator data plate, and installs the alternator on a customer’s aircraft, charging the customer the price of a new aircraft alternator.

• Has he committed any crimes?
• If so, and the aircraft crashes as a result of the alternator failing while flying in clouds, killing the owner-pilot, what are the possible penalties the repairman could face?