Aviation Law

The U.S. government has siezed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s Dassault 900 EX for alleged sanctions violations. The big business jet, which Maduro reportedly used as his version of Air Force One, was flown by American officials from the Dominican Republic to Fort Lauderdale. “This morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally […]

AOPA is reporting that the owner of a flight school that went bankrupt while allegedly holding hundreds of thousands of dollars in student deposits has struck a plea deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Kevin Rylchik is facing a prison term but by pleading guilty he avoided indictment on a laundry list […]

A Montana woman has pleaded guilty to lunging at the controls of Cape Air Cessna 402 just as it was landing at Havre Airport on March 21, 2023, and very nearly causing it to crash. Tracy Lynn Eagleman, 36, of Havre will be sentenced in December and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in […]

A flight instructor who flew students for almost a year after surrendering his certificate has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the crash that killed one of those students. ABC News is reporting Phillip Everton McPherson II, 36, of Haddon Township, New Jersey, is facing the charge after the Piper Arrow he and the 49-year-old […]

The City of Boulder, Colorado, is taking the FAA to court saying a clause in its grant obligations to the agency is constitutional overreach. The city has already stopped accepting grants with an eye to closing the airport in 2040 when the last obligations reach their 20-year expiry, but the FAA says it may never […]

A self-proclaimed “free citizen” is facing federal charges in Alaska for “nearly causing a midair collision” a year ago according to the FAA. William Brian Marsan is under federal indictment and was jailed July 18 after he allegedly taxied his Piper Cherokee to the wrong end of the active runway at Warren “Bud” Woods Palmer […]

United Airlines says it has apologized to a passenger and suspended the flight attendant at the bottom of the mess. The passenger said he tapped a flight attendant lightly on the arm to get his attention and the FA accused him of hitting him. It’s not clear what influence the fact that the passenger was […]

Boeing’s controversial plea deal to settle its criminal charges over the 2018 and 2019 737 MAX crashes could theoretically mess up its many lucrative military contracts, but no one seems to seriously think it will. The U.S. military isn’t supposed to deal with companies that have criminal convictions but the government can waive them. “DOD […]

According to a Bloomberg report today (June 30), “people familiar with the matter” have revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has told Boeing it will be charged with fraud. That would leave the storied but shamed manufacturer with the unpleasant legal choice of pleading guilty or risking a jury trial. According to the […]

The FAA is staying out of the controversy over warranty issues concerning the use of GAMI’s G100UL. Cirrus Aircraft and Lycoming have both said they don’t consider G100UL an approved fuel and confirmed its use could affect warranty claims. Continental Aerospace has not yet commented to AVweb on the issue. The warranty debate arose from […]