The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned it may revoke the air carrier certificate of Honolulu-based cargo carrier Rhoades Aviation Inc. - the legal name of Transair (Hawaii) (RDS, Honolulu) - citing a litany of alleged safety violations.
The regulator has given the carrier 15 days to respond to its enforcement notice. The airline was not immediately available for comment.
Transair operates an in-house fleet of two B737-200Cs, one B737-200(F) (all inactive), and one active VIP B737-200, ch-aviation fleets data reveals.
The FAA, in a statement, alleged the cargo carrier has:
- failed to maintain Safety Management System records;
- address issues the FAA found with its general operations manual;
- conduct proper safety risk management when addressing discrepancies in its aircraft loading, weight and balance, and runway analysis manuals;
- provide revised manuals to the FAA;
- provide safety-risk-management documentation when it submitted its administration manual;
- operated two B737s more than 900 times after failing to add the aircraft to its maintenance and inspection program;
- operated a B737 on 33 flights when it was not airworthy due to engine compressor fan blades that did not meet manufacturer standards;
- committed numerous violations related to its FAA-required Safety Management System programme, including failing to ensure that the programme was properly implemented and performed in all areas of its organisation;
- conducted improper maintenance work on engine compressor fan blades and failed to document the work properly.
Having investigated the company’s safety practices for months, the FAA in July last year already grounded Transair Hawaii after finding deficiencies in its maintenance procedures.
This came after a Transair Express B737-200(C) crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Hawaii on July 2, 2021. The pilots escaped unharmed.
