By Marcia Moore
The Federal Aviation Administration is trying to track down pilots who may be flying unsafe aircraft in the wake of a Selinsgrove man’s admission in federal court Wednesday that he falsified and forged inspection records for several years.
Brian D. Snyder, 26, faces up to 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine for theft of an airplane and committing fraud at his Elysburg area aircraft repair business, known as Smooth Landings and Always Airborne, for nearly six years until he was charged in January. Although he was not licensed by the FAA until April 2005 and that license was revoked in October 2006 due to falsified records, he inspected and repaired aircraft between November 2002 and January 2008.
He admitted falsifying 277 inspection entries related to inspections and repairs on 66 airplanes, stole aircraft parts and forged the names of licensed mechanics on reports to make it appear he was performing safety checks on aircraft.
Snyder also stole a Piper PA-32 single-engine plane in May 2007 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and sold it for $60,000.
FAA spokesman Jim Peters said the agency has sent out an alert to notify airplane owners who used Snyder’s services that safety hazards may exist due to Snyder’s improper inspections and repairs.
Peters said some owners have already been contacted.
Other known aircraft owners are still being sought, but Peters said the FAA has issued an alert to notify others who may have taken their planes to Snyder’s repair shop.
“We don’t have the names of all the owners,” he said, citing Snyder’s poor record-keeping.
Airplane owners who may be affected and have not been contacted by the FAA may call FAA inspector James Pool at (717) 774-8271, ext. 231 or FAA inspector Richard Thomas at ext. 230.
