The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday seized Dassault Falcon 900EX S/N 007—registered as T7-ESPRT—that it claims was owned and operated for the benefit of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him. According to the DOJ, the trijet was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the Southern District of Florida at the request of the U.S. “based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.”

“[Yesterday] morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “The department will continue to pursue those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine the national security of the United States.”

According to the U.S. investigation, in early 2023 persons affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the purchase of the 900EX from a company based in Florida. Sources told AIN that Six G Aviation of Lorida, an unincorporated community near Sebring, brokered the aircraft deal. Six G did not respond to AIN’s inquiries seeking to confirm this information.

According to the DOJ, the jet was then illegally exported from the U.S. to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023.

Garmin once again reached the top ranking in the flight deck avionics category in the 2024 AIN Avionics Product Support Survey and also ranked first in the airborne connectivity category, finishing with composite scores of 9.0 and 9.1, respectively. Holding the highest ranking in flight deck avionics for the past few decades, the Olathe, Kansas-based supplier secured at least a 9.0 rating in five of the eight categories measured both in the flight deck avionics and airborne connectivity categories, including a 9.3 in overall reliability in both.

Collins Aerospace placed second behind Garmin in flight deck avionics with an 8.6 rating, improving by 0.5 points in its overall average from 2023. In airborne connectivity, Satcom Direct maintained its rating from 2023 of 8.6, finishing second in this category.

Among cabin management systems suppliers, Lufthansa Technik's Nice system vaulted to the top with an 8.2 average, tying for the top spot with Honeywell, which climbed significantly from a 6.9 rating last year.

The companies maintained their high scores as the MRO business appears to have rallied from the problems wrought by the Covid pandemic and continue to work toward clearing backlogs within the limitations of the mechanics' shortage and supply-chain difficulties. More communication with customers and hands-on help with suppliers, as well as increased inventories, are helping to level the difficulties the companies have encountered.

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has added a new layer to its Industry Audit Standard, rolling out IAS Lite, to offer a streamlined audit program for independent charter and non-commercial operators.

IAS Lite provides a means for operators to become ACSF-audit registered and achieve compliance with FAA Part 5 safety management systems (SMS). ACSF said the program was “meticulously crafted” to enable operators to achieve a higher level of safety management without the complexity and cost of more extensive audits.

Under the IAS Lite process, operators begin by submitting the Operator Pre-Audit Checklist, which helps with audit preparation and provides a preliminary overview to the audit team. An audit team professional will then help guide the operator through the program. Audits are valid for 24 months, but operators can request them sooner to affirm their SMS progress.

"IAS Lite represents a significant advancement for independent charter and non-commercial operators, providing them with a customized, affordable, scalable approach to safety management," said ACSF president and CEO Bryan Burns. “This program ensures that even the smallest operators can meet and exceed the highest safety standards, ultimately enhancing their operational safety culture.”

Burns added that the program helps small and medium-sized operators to complete IAS registration and comply with Part 5 even if they don’t have the resources to complete full registration.

Bode Aero Services, the lone FBO at Albuquerque (New Mexico) Double Eagle II Airport (KAEG), has been named as the recipient of Avfuel’s inaugural Communities Soar Award. Presented to an Avfuel-branded FBO that “provides exemplary service to its region,” the award honors Bode Aero’s community partnership and commitment to its airport.

A member of the Avfuel-supplied FBO network since 2007, Bode Aero consistently donates its facilities and hangar space in support of local events such as the EAA Land of Enchantment Fly-in, which is a major fundraiser for the local EAA chapter. As part of the Soar Award, Avfuel will support this year’s fly-in event—on September 21—with a fuel donation.

The FBO also supports the EAA by providing winter maintenance for its Ford Tri-Motor NC-8407 that tours the country offering flights. Bode is known for its support of military training aircraft and helps advance pilot career paths through its flight school and involvement with the U.S. Air Force career day for local high schoolers.

“Bode Aero is an exceptional steward of the Albuquerque community and the aviators within it,” stated Mark Haynes, Avfuel’s v-p of sales. “We are honored to present Bode Aero with the first Communities Soar Award and look forward to a continued partnership through which the aviation industry—local and beyond—benefits from Bode Aero’s deep-rooted sense of community.”

Discover cutting-edge products, services and innovative fuel solutions designed to streamline and elevate your aviation business

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched an investigation into how a Leonardo AW119 helicopter came to be dropped while being carried beneath a larger Mi-17 military rotorcraft. Owned by charter operator Kestrel Aviation, the AW119 was being airlifted on Saturday from Kedarnath in the mountainous northern state of Uttarakhand after becoming unserviceable.

According to an IAF spokesperson, the AW119 started to oscillate in a hazardous way, forcing the military pilots to ditch the load into the Mandakini River in an unpopulated area. The aircraft had been stranded at Kedarnath—which is 11,755 feet above sea level—since May after a charter flight carrying pilgrims to religious shrines in the Himalayan mountains made an emergency landing.

The Mi-17 crew were attempting to transport the helicopter around 100 nm to the airport at Gauchar, which is used as a forward operating base for the Indian military for disaster management operations, such as floods and landslides. It also serves as a gateway for pilgrims visiting high-altitude shrines, with helicopter flights being an alternative to trekking on foot to locations that are cut off by snowfall for around six months of the year.

The FAA is revising and adding new safety standards to reduce the likelihood of potentially catastrophic risks due to latent failures in critical systems. Effective September 24, new amendments to FAR Part 25 airworthiness certification regulations include system safety assessments (SSA) requirements. SSA aims to make more comprehensive and consistent the criteria for conducting safety evaluations of such systems as flight controls and powerplants on newly certified airplanes.

With this action, the agency seeks to reduce the risk of accidents and incidents associated with new technology, such as fly-by-wire controls. Revised amendments also serve to codify rules to address type certification of novel or unusual design features, replacing the more time-consuming and expensive method of applying “special conditions” or “equivalent level of safety” provisions.

The changes to Part 25 affect applicants for type certification and operators of certain transport category airplanes. “Applicants for type certification will be required to conduct their SSAs in accordance with the revised regulations,” said the FAA. “Changes to the instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) affect operators of newly certified airplanes.” The final SSA amendments incorporate suggestions made by several general aviation and airliner manufacturers and trade organizations that commented in response to a December 2022 notice of proposed rulemaking.

Avon Park Executive Airport (KAVO) is the latest to join the AEG Connect branded dealer network. The Central Florida gateway—which sees approximately 100 operations a day—features a 5,374-foot main runway, and its municipally-operated FBO offers a full slate of aviation services including aircraft refueling, hangar space, and a flight school. It does not charge overnight tie-down fees with a fuel purchase.

“AEG Fuels is renowned in the aviation industry for its reliability, innovative solutions, and exceptional customer support,” stated Charlie Brown Jr., KAVO’s operations manager. “Now, as part of their network, we look forward to enhancing our fuel sales and providing even greater value to our customers.”

Launched in late 2022 with the goal of providing customers with a worldwide network of quality service, the AEG Fuels-sponsored group numbers 20 locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Brazil. This latest addition brings it to three locations in the Sunshine State.

Harrods Aviation has achieved Stage 3 registration under IBAC’s International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH). The company earned the program’s highest level at both its London Luton and Stansted airport locations, making it the first in the UK to do so.

Launched in 2014, IS-BAH is an audit-based process that requires companies to integrate safety management systems (SMS) into their operations. Following the successful completion of each audit, the company must demonstrate the requirements for the next level over a certain period before they can schedule their next audit.

"We started our IS-BAH journey in 2016 and have found the implementation process to be profoundly beneficial in enhancing our safety management system,” said Dan Holian, Harrods director of operations, adding that the IS-BAH framework allowed the company to build its safety landscape in a smart, manageable, and measurable way. “We highly recommend its adoption to other FBOs looking to elevate their SMS compliance, especially with new ground handling regulations on the horizon."

This latest acceptance brings the number of IS-BAH Stage 3 ground handlers to 36 worldwide.

"As one of the early participants in the program, Harrods have progressively built on their achievements at Stage 1 and Stage 2 and have been able to evidence a positive safety culture in meeting Stage 3 registration criteria," stated IS-BAH program director Terry Yeomans.