The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $500,000 civil penalty on troubled SeaPort Airlines for allegedly operating three small planes that it said were not airworthy.
The agency says the Portland-based airline failed to perform inspections on three single-engine Cessna Caravans relating to the planes’ turbine compressor blades.
Faulty compressor turbine blades can cause the engine to fail.
"Airworthiness Directives are critical safety tools. Safe operations depend on meticulous compliance with their requirements," said FAA administrator Michael Huerta in a statement.
The planes flew 583 times while the inspections were overdue between October 2014 and February 2015, the FAA says.
SeaPort President Tim Sieber said the company notified the FAA when it discovered the inspections had not been carried out and the technician responsible has since been fired.
Sieber said the FAA fine will not affect its plans to come out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection which it entered earlier this year.
Nevertheless SeaPort has 30 days to contest the civil penalty.
