OHIO

Carrier with history of trouble continues to fly -- and crash

BY RONNIE GREENE

rgreene@MiamiHerald.com

An Ohio company with a history of maintenance failings and human casualties is a case study in how even the most troubled operators remain in business in the rugged world of air cargo.

Even as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a series of fines, warnings and letters to Grand Aire Express, the company and its affiliated operator, TriCoastal Air Inc., continued to fly.

On Feb. 8, in the company's latest tragedy, pilot Abdulgader Zbedah, 42, issued a plea for help in the skies of Tennessee. "Mayday," he transmitted. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday."

Then contact was lost, and the Swearingen SA-226-TC plane hurtled toward a plot of land with such ferocity it sounded like a "racing motorcycle," witnesses said. Zbedah was killed.

His company, TriCoastal, is a sister firm of Grand Aire, sharing a similar ownership and business address, and combined they have a record of seven deaths in four crashes since 2002. Among those killed: the company founder.

The FAA is cautious before trying to ground companies, "because we almost certainly will be forced to defend our action in court," the agency said in a written reply to Miami Herald questions.

But FAA records reveal nearly three dozen accidents or incidents involving company planes since the late 1980s. Even beyond its death count, the company suffered multiple mishaps, records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show.

In 1989, a faulty transponder prompted a pilot to fly through the Cleveland control area without clearance. In 1993, a Grand Aire plane's nose gear collapsed. In 1995, five minutes after takeoff, a pilot noticed "what appeared to be oil spraying from the right engine" and had to abort the flight. In 1997, a Grand Aire plane destined to Louisville had to abort flight when the right engine quit in the sky. In 2000, an emergency exit window "separated from the airplane" in flight, but the crew managed to land safely.

In 2000, the FAA sought $290,000 in fines, saying Grand Aire operated a plane for 20 days without repairing a known problem and performed maintenance without reference to required manuals.

In 2001, the U.S. government sued Grand Aire Express in federal court in Ohio to collect the $290,000. Grand Aire initially disputed it, but the case was settled in 2002 with an order that the company pay $150,000.

The crackdowns, fines and crashes continued:

. On July 18, 2002, in Indiana, pilot Mukesh K. Gupta, 25, died as he transported parts for Grand Aire at 3:45 a.m. during thick fog.

Gupta had reported for duty at 1 p.m. the previous day, and his crash came 14 hours, 45 minutes later -- 45 minutes longer than rules allow, in part because of a freight delay.

The National Transportation Safety Board cited his "failure to maintain control of the airplane during a missed approach" as causing the crash. Also at play: "The operator's inadequate oversight" and "conditions conducive to pilot fatigue."

. On April 8, 2003, three people -- Dave Davenport, 40, Will Forshay, 37, and Wallis Bouldin, 34 -- were killed when another Grand Aire plane crashed in Ohio.

The 35-year-old Falcon jet was carrying cargo on a training flight when it crashed into trees while approaching Toledo Express Airport on a day with freezing mist.

The plane lacked a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, the black boxes that are not required on small cargo planes.

An investigation later raised questions about the pilot's experience and actions on the fatal flight.

A post-crash review of Grand Aire unearthed a startling memo that reveals the sometimes shoestring nature of the industry: "A memo from the director of operations was found on the pilots' bulletin board praising the pilots for returning to Toledo with minimum fuel," FAA records show.

Five hours after the Toledo crash, another Grand Aire cargo plane crashed in the Mississippi River near St. Louis, injuring two pilots, who were rescued from the water.

. On Nov. 30, 2004, Grand Aire founder Tahir Cheema, himself a pilot, and copilot Eko Pinardi died when their corporate jet crashed into an island on the Missouri River.

The flight appeared destined for trouble even before takeoff, as Cheema had gotten off to a late start, reporting, "We had to abort because the airspeed indicator didn't work, but ... it's fixed now."

Witnesses saw the plane drift to the right during its climbout, then lose altitude. They heard the engines at full power, then silence, then the crash. The HFB Hansa 320 jet was 35 years old, and it crashed just before 8 p.m. on a night with poor weather.

There were other red flags on a jet that lacked black-box devices. The plane was operating under a special "ferry" permit that set restrictions on when it could fly, and it traveled that evening on a one-time permit. The NTSB blamed the crash on maintenance and pilot failures.

Company President Katrina Cheema declined interview requests. "She thanks you for calling. However, she is unavailable and ... she will not be able to have this discussion with you," her office said.