FAA Revokes Inspector’s Permit Over Perris Crash : Aviation: Owner of sky-diving plane in which 16 were killed loses license to certify own maintenance. But report says engine failed because of impure fuel.

The owner of the sky-diving plane that crashed on takeoff near Perris last April, killing 16 people, has lost his inspector’s license because he failed to keep proper maintenance records and certify the condition of the plane, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.

The FAA’s revocation order means that while Bennie E. Conatser can continue to operate his sky-diving facility at Perris Valley Airport, he can no longer certify maintenance work done on his aircraft. Licensed aircraft mechanics such as Conatser are frequently authorized to certify their own work.

William L. Schanz, Conatser’s attorney, said the order will be appealed Oct. 19 at a hearing in Lawndale.

“We believe that the true facts will show that the plane was maintained and certified in accordance with FAA requirements,” he said.

The FAA action is the first official sanction since the DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter lost power in one of its two engines and crashed on takeoff at Perris Valley Airport on April 22, killing 16 of the 22 on board.

However, sources close to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the accident say the problems alleged in the license-revocation order may have played no role in the crash.

The revocation order, dated Aug. 31, accuses Conatser of operating the plane without a valid airworthiness certificate, failing to use authorized methods while performing an annual inspection of the aircraft and failing to execute required paperwork on maintenance procedures.

“Based on the foregoing circumstances, the (FAA) is of the opinion that an emergency requiring immediate action exists,” the letter to Conatser announcing the order said. “Effective immediately, (the) inspection authorization certificate held by you is hereby revoked.”

Schanz said that any problems that may have existed were essentially bookkeeping errors that were not a factor in the crash. He said FAA regulations are a “quagmire of ambiguity” that complicate the bookkeeping process.

Preliminary reports from the NTSB investigation of the crash indicate that the plane’s right engine failed because the fuel that fed it was contaminated with water.

The NTSB said equipment used by an outside supplier was not properly purged of contaminants before it was used to transfer fuel from an airport reservoir to a truck used to refuel planes.

In addition, NTSB investigators have said the plane was overloaded, the sky-divers on board weren’t wearing restraining belts, and that an automatic propeller-feathering device, which might have helped the pilot maintain control after the right engine failed, had been disconnected.

Spokespersons for Conatser, noting the fuel problem, have disputed the NTSB’s other findings, saying that the plane was within legal load limitations, that few sky-divers wear restraining belts and that the propeller-feathering device was disconnected in accordance with recommended procedures.

Survivors said the plane lifted off normally from the airport’s single runway, then veered sharply to the right, nosed over and slammed into the ground.