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ATLANTA � The U.S. Department of
Transportation�s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $66,000 civil
penalty against Centurion Air Cargo, Inc., of Miami, Fla., for allegedly operating
an aircraft that was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.
The FAA
alleges Centurion operated an MD-11 jet on at least 12 flights between June 5
and 11, 2013 while failing to comply with its minimum equipment list (MEL) procedures
after receiving a fuel quantity fault indication during a June 5 flight. An MEL specifies what equipment may be inoperable
during a flight pending repair of that equipment.
A carrier is prohibited
from flying an aircraft with inoperable equipment unless it complies with the
MEL. The FAA alleges Centurion did not comply with the MEL for deferring this
discrepancy by placarding the fuel quantity indicator as inoperable and
verifying the tail and forward auxiliary tanks were empty after refueling.
Additionally,
the FAA alleges that Centurion operated the aircraft on four of the flights after
discovering that the door slide indicator did not light. Centurion did not follow
MEL procedures for deferring this discrepancy by placarding the light as
inoperative and verifying that the evacuation slide system was adequately
charged each day the aircraft flew, the FAA alleges.
Centurion
has been in communication with the FAA about the case.
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