FAA proposes civil penalties against private jet service, commuter airline

The FAA proposed civil penalties against two aviation companies on Wednesday, giving each 30 days after receiving the enforcement letter to respond. A $175,000 civil penalty was filed against Empyreal Jet of Houston, alleging the private jet service operated a Raytheon Hawker 800 jet when it was not airworthy after improper maintenance. An inspection in September 2022 had found cracks in the skin of the jet's rudder. The FAA said Empyreal reinstalled the damaged rudder in October 2022, subsequently operating the Hawker on roughly 31 revenue flights. The FAA is alleging that Empyreal personnel entered into a maintenance log that they replaced the rudder, while they instead reinstalled the original damaged part. The FAA also proposed a $280,000 civil penalty against the Palm Beach-based commuter airline, Southern Airways Express, alleging that the company used an unqualified co-pilot on revenue flights. The FAA is alleging that between Oct. 1 and Oct. 12, 2022 the company operated three Cessna Caravan planes on 32 commercial flights with a co-pilot that had not passed recent written or oral tests or a competency check. The alleged flights were between Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia and Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW) in West Virginia. In using an unqualified pilot, the FAA alleges that Southern Airways operated the aircraft carelessly or recklessly, endangering lives and property.