If you’ve had any work done by “The Plane Man” in Casa Grande, Ariz., you might want to have it checked by an A&P before your next flight. A federal grand jury has charged Glen Forsyth, 43, with five felony offenses resulting from a 100-hour inspection on an Alon Ercoupe in July of 2008. A week after the annual, the engine failed and the aircraft was written off in the off-airport landing that followed. LawFuel.com reported the post-accident inspection “caused FAA aircraft safety inspectors to believe that the fuel pump had not been properly inspected.”
So, naturally they asked to talk to Forsyth and discovered that he was signing off airplanes with a number issued to another man in 1968. It’s not that Forsyth is completely untrained, but he’s failed the FAA exams three times and the agency is alleging he didn’t take the hint and find another line of work. Forsyth has been charged with three counts of making false statements to a government agency and two counts of fraud involving airplane parts. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a fine of $250,000.
