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The FAA, If Guilty of Anything, is Guilty of Being Asleep At The Wheel

Google "Air Trek Accidents" and See What Comes Up

You can take your, Google "Air Trek Accidents" and See What Comes Up?

It would be hard to argue that the FAA didn't need to act decisively to discover Air Trek's problems; it would also be foolhardy to think that special attention wouldn't be given to any company (no matter the size) that crashed 50% of their aircraft over a four year period; resulting in the deaths and injuries of numerous people (this also doesn't take into account the numerous other serious 'issues' Air Trek experienced prior to suspension of their Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate).

The FAA would never allow a larger company to continue operations with such an abysmal safety record. Can you imagine any customer purchasing a ticket or chartering an aircraft from an airline or company that crashed half of its fleet of aircraft in less than four years? This type of dismal record would have spurred a massive investigation by the NTSB/FAA long before it reached this sad state of affairs, had Air Trek been more in the public eye.

It is no secret that smaller operators are able 'skirt' regulations due to the lack of oversight from the FAA (and everyone recognizes this). Consequently, the FAA relies heavily on companies to follow the regulations and it is often very difficult to catch those that aren't...even when they do, it is often extremely difficult to prove...often management blames pilots for violations despite often coercing them to do so. Unfortunately, there are just too many small operators for the FAA to cover adequately; consequently, when they find a company circumventing the rules, the must make an example of them.

The FAA, if guilty of anything, is guilty of being asleep at the wheel in this instance, not being overzealous as the owners of Air Trek would have people believe. There are a lot of people that could have been spared the nightmare of being in a plane crash if something had been done sooner.

It makes one wonder what the Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in Tampa was doing with regards to oversight of Air Trek? Perhaps the FAA should be looking into their actions, or lack of inaction as it is. If the personnel in the Tampa FSDO were derelict in their duties, looking the other way, or heaven forbid receiving something for their 'ignorance', the FAA has an obligation to investigate, make it known to the public, criminally prosecute FAA personnel if warranted, and set in place procedures to ensure it never happens again...companies that fail to follow the rules put everyone that flies at risk.

Finally, the owners of Air Trek has stated there were never any significant issues; their dismal safety record stands as a testament to their denial. Furthermore, Air Trek has stated time and again that the only issues were pilots acting contrary to company policy-company policy isn't worth the paper it's written on if not adhered to by the 'powers that be'. It is interesting to note there has also never been any mention or any presentation of documentation maintained by the owners of Air Trek that verifies claims of pilot misdeeds.

Where are the counseling forms, written documentation noting the time and dates those employees violated company policy, FAA regulations, Operational Specifications? Lastly, one could argue that if Air Trek's management was incapable or unwilling to document 'issues', re-train pilots or terminate them if unwilling to comply, that the management of this company is not qualified to operate a Part 135 Air Carrier; the management of Air Trek had an obligation to ensure everything was done in accordance with FAA regulations and documentation to verify deviations...passing the buck just doesn't cut it.