EMBRY RIDDLE ASCI404 8.2 - Aviation Crimes

Scenario 1

An 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?

Scenario 2

An aircraft owner-pilot has learned aerobatics and gotten into the airshow business as a performer. His aircraft doesn’t carry much fuel, which is fine for the aerobatic performances over the airport, but requires frequent fuel stops en route to and from shows.

The airplane has two seats, and although the owner-pilot isn’t FAA-certified as a mechanic he does have some mechanical aptitude. He fabricates a fuel tank that fits into the other seat where he can secure it with the restraint harness and has a quick-disconnect fuel line, so he can pull the tank out when he arrives at the airshow site, fly his routine without it, then quickly re-install it for the flight home. He takes it up for a local flight test and it works fine.

• Has he committed any crimes?
• If so, what are the possible penalties he may face?