Fine Possible for Aviation Company

A Fayetteville-based company could be fined $4 million by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said Spitfire Aviation Services flew more than 790 revenue flights without the required operating certificate or FAA-approved operational standards.

According to the administration, the violations occurred between November 2005 and October 2007. Inspectors found that 262 flights were conducted by a pilot who did not hold an air transport pilot certificate with the appropriate type rating for the aircraft being flown.

A Spitfire flight crashed near Fayetteville on Dec. 18, 2006, killing the pilot and injuring three passengers but the FAA’s investigation into the company began in 2007, after a complaint from a competitor.   

According to the company’s Web site, Spitfire is a private aviation service company and does not operate under the FAA’s Part 135 regulations, or regulations for charter operators.

“Being a charter service is not our desire nor is it our intention to be involved in Part 135 or that type of operation,” the site states.

Spitfire has until Jan. 4 to appeal the proposed civil penalty to the FAA administrator.