What is an I/A responsible for???

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

This guy was not only a jerk, he was a DANGEROUS jerk. When you get to a certain level you get hard to eliminate from the system. He went from the squadron (where everyone just wanted to wait him out till he left) to an Admirals staff where the Admiral told him what a low life he was and that he WAS NOT staying in HIS Navy. I understand it took less than 6 months. He did offer him the option of retiring or being thrown out. He took retirement. Last time I saw him he was a driver for my old Chief. Like I said, sometimes Carma is good. Nothing like hearing your old Chief (really great guy) referring to his old CO as "Jimmy". ;-)

Hank

No one who knew him would EVER let him back in a cockpit again.

[Pearson]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

Hey I KNOW that guy. He was chief pilot for an airline I used to work for! But of course, they went out of business. Seems you can't run a successful operation with broke airplanes. I guess it is the same in the Navy too.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

I don't think it was the wrong call, just that maybe the felt pen would be a better one. Then HE would need to tear a page out or explain why you withdrew your Annual. I would NEVER allow my signature to remain intact on a log where some idiot did what he did.

If he had tried to sue you he would have been twice the idiot.

When I was a Maintenance Officer for a squadron I told the CO once I would disable a plane if he changed it from "down" to "up" again with my signature still on the logs after grounding it. We had a plane with the windshield defog system down and he changed the maintenance chit from a "down" gripe to "up" over the objections of the shop, the shop Chief, the maintenance control officer and me. We were ORDERED to not change it again. I gave the logs to the pilot for the brief with them open to the page and pointed to the chit without saying a word. The pilot grounded the plane AGAIN and was taken aside by the CO and chewed out. The CO bullied the pilot into taking the plane, which almost suffered a ramp strike because the pilot was trying to land with low fuel looking through a tiny hole in the windshield ice. The pilot came down to the ready room and threw his helmet at the CO hitting him in the back of the head. He was restricted to quarters (put in Hack) for over a week. I was chewed out for showing him the chit, at which point I asked him what he kept in his safe in his state room, and smiled. He went the rest of the cruise thinking I had kept copies of every chit he had changed, which, if I had, could get him courts martialed. He ordered me several times to open my safe for him, which I wouldn't saying, "Bring the ships Master at Arms down and I will give HIM the contents". He never did see what was in my safe, but he was thrown out of the Navy on his next tour. The man was a lunatic.

By the way, I spent a couple of weeks in Hack too for another reason, but then, on that Med cruise EVERY OFFICER in the squadron, including the XO, was put in Hack at least once. The CAG commander ORDERED him to release me. Carma is a wonderful thing.

[N96337]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

Hank, I wasn't sure I could do anything...so called my PMI. He said go cut the pages out.... I did. I don't think the guy had guts enough to try to sue me..and for good reason. By the time I was done, everyone around knew about it, and all were backing my decision. I suppose it could open me up, but I'd rather beat that than have my IA pulled for something this guy did after my annual. Wrong call? Could be....but it worked. :clue?:: (wouldn't be the first.... and I know it wont be the last wrong decision I made)
John

[LostnSpace]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

Just saw this thread and to add a little something, I was talking to a retired airline captain, he told me his friend just had his L-2 Taylorcraft annualed at a well known FBO that does work on old airplanes, he said the cool thing about that L-2 was the rear seat swiveled around. I have worked on and restored L-2's, so I am a little familiar with the TCDS, and it has a note that states the rear seat is to be welded or bolted in the forward facing position, tells me even well known shops that are gurus with old airplanes are not looking at the TCDS during the annual inspection, just a thought, gary

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

I think maybe it would be better in future to write across the log entry that the Annual had been voided than to tear the page out. I would CERTAINLY not allow my signature to stand!
A bold note across the page with a felt tip pen would do more than tearing out the page and would really throw up some red flags to the next person to look at the plane. Destruction of part of the owners logs could really let you in for a law suit couldn't it?

Hank

[N96337]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

So sorry to hear that Louis. Sounds like a bunch of BS to me too!! I once ripped my "annual signoff" out of a guy's books after I caught him taking one of his mags apart "to see how it worked" just a couple days after the inspection. I'd already talked to my PMI about it and was following his advice. It sucks bigtime that we are the ones that it's the easiest to dump that garbage on, so we get it done to us. I don't blame you for being mad...I know I sure would be!! Hang in there, and keep us updated on this please.
John

[louiswp]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

Ok guys here is an update, I lost my IA after over 15 years of having it. In the report the FAA has letters from the owner stating he adjusted and did things to the aircraft after I annualed it. so instead of 3 things that could of been better he had a whole list of items that went against me after I annualed the aircraft. FAA even had photos from the crash showing the cowl smashed and carb heat linkage sticking out and bent. so between the owner and the crash I was blamed for many things. the owner also misplaced the AD list that was done at the annual and I was hit for not doing the AD's. so no AD's, bent and torn items from the crash, elt removed by owner, added items by owner after the annual like panel mounted handheld GPS, also the FAA had said the airspeed indicator was a Cessna model and no records of it being installed. funny thing is I took a picture of it and it does not say Cessna or any model of Cessna on the indicator. the brand is written on the indicator face plane as day and it does not say Cessna. so even though the stuff was reported to be done by the owner and obvious items from the crash I had my IA revoked without any facts being heard. I can do an appeal but it is expensive. attorney 10K plus and the NTSB judges are expensive. Lost IA for a year then I can retest and apply again. in the mean time I lose the customers I have to prove myself. the NTSB has not overturned a case in the past year according to their records. the fuel tank issue I found they were installed in 1995 and of course not the proper paperwork so I took the hit for the past 15 IA's that signed off this aircraft. So what is an IA responsible for? everything no matter how long after the annual and for what an owner does to his airplane after the annual, unless you have lots of money to prove otherwise. I will post this on a new thread also. its bulls*** Raymond Peterson is the FAA person

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

Sounds like Louis is the kind of IA we want more of. Please keep us up on what happens and FOR SURE let us know of anything you see on an annual that we can all go out and look for on our planes. Sharing problems will keep us alive.
Paper doesn't make a plane fly, but illegal changes (even if safe) or not documenting changes can make trying to fly not worth the effort any more. We have ALL got to put safety first, but GET THE PAPER RIGHT TOO! As a group we can solve most of these kinds of problems.

Hank

[louiswp]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

Just ran across this thread, I am the IA in question that started this topic. I have been doing lots of research lately. I have had my A&P for 22 years and IA for 15, owned an FBO and average 70 annuals a year. I even get flown to Alaska each year to work on Taylorcrafts and super cubs. All the Taylorcrafts I work on has tanks in both wings and are legal I know now. the one I annualed the tanks have been in for at least 12 years cause it hasn't been covered since then. I assumed that was standard for the taylorcraft cause I didn't ever see another TC without that setup. The TC is about as basic as you can get. no electrical, Avionics etc. I subscribe to TData for all my records so I have all the updated TCD's AD's service bulletins FARs AC43.13.. $800 a year not to mention $9k in liability insurance and a few more thousand for calibration of all my equipment
plus I work for the largest helicopter operation in the world. So safety and airworthy is my highest priority and every customer of mine is a friend. I fly all of their aircraft so if its not correct I fix it. problem was if it looked like a new install I would of caught it. I assumed the last 32 inspectors would of caught the fuel system which again I never questioned. The BC models has note 2 for the left tank as an AUX option. my BL also had the Continental (legal) swap also. problem was at the accident site on the owners land, the owner installed a bunch of stuff that caught the Feds eye. GPS mounted to dash and antenna to brace bar above panel, A home made baggage compartment and also he ran auto fuel. all after the annual. So the fed dug deeper and he stumbled on the fuel system by noticing a line looked newer. he was focusing on fuel issues anyhow. ended up being ruled carb ice. I have discovered my fed as an IA was working for a local FBO as my competitor years ago. he was also in hot water for doing fabric wrong on an aircraft. I think its revenge. I have grounded four planes since for illegal pilot stuff mounted in the cockpit. My fed also wrote up the scat tubing was unairworthy for tears in the hose. No **** it fell through the trees and destroyed the cowl and all the attach points for the tubing. I guess at annual I missed in the TCD's where it states a tree isn't part of the fuselage either. I should of caught that big hole in the side. still don't know if these tanks are legal yet cause they could of been in there since the late 40's and hard telling how the pre FAA record keeping was. I told the feds that I will be submitting lots of paperwork for them on the illegal stuff I find from other IA's when I do my annuals. I figure about 10 items every annual. and yes dirty safety wire isn't allowed either. I will keep everyone posted on the outcome

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

That would have never made it through a court case. Too bad a regulatory agency doesn't have to use the courts and can pass out punishment based on what the regulator want to do, not on any reasonable proof of poor judgement by the IA.

Unfortunately, the IA was in the same place we all are when dealing with something like the IRS. It doesn't matter if you are guilty or innocent. It just matters if they want to get you. I would bet the IA had made someone mad in the FAA and he got retaliation from someone there. There are MANY good people at the FAA (almost all of them), but like everywhere, there are also some bad ones.

Hank

[swoeric]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

Have an IA many years back that signed off on an annual.. plane was kept a farmers house. several months later the farmer crashed due to poor piloting of a dead engine.. the fuel cap had been replaced with a tractor version and without a vent.... after inspection of farm equipment a tractor was missing its fuel cap.... the faa and lawyers still punished the IA claiming that he should have seen it... even after the fact without proof it went in to annual with or without it

[LostnSpace]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

It will be like 1946 again and our age planes will be the only ones still flying.
Hank

After working with turbocharged Cirrus's and turbocharged Mooney's it is nice to look in the engine compartment of a Tcraft, gary

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

It will be like 1946 again and our age planes will be the only ones still flying.
Hank

[LostnSpace]

Re: What is an I/A responsible for???

I left something out, when I go the the records department, it is for my "side/evening" jobs, the work done in the shop is all handled by other departments, when "they" are finished with reviewing the paperwork and maintenence records, then it shows up on a computer program, technology is amazing. Needed some silicon heat transfer paste for a Rotax engine, got on Grainger website, found the pn, hit chat, someone tells me which store has it, how many, if I'll be there by 4PM, she'll reserve it for me, what will happen if computers are knocked off line and cell phones don't work?, gary