Father of 2 Plane Crash Victims Blamed by FAA

The owner of a sky-diving business had improperly maintained a plane that crashed last year, killing 12 people, including two of his sons, federal investigators concluded.

Even though he was not a Federal Aviation Administration certified mechanic, James Baron installed the left engine and propeller on the sky-diving plane that crashed Sept. 7, 1992, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.

The engine change violated FAA regulations, the board said.

In addition, the twin-engine Beechcraft BE-18 had logged more than twice the flight hours permitted by the FAA before undergoing a thorough inspection, investigators said.

Baron’s sons, Chris, 27, and Ed, 29, were among those killed.

Witnesses told the safety board that smoke was trailing from the left engine at takeoff. Lack of maintenance led to engine failure, the report said.

The FAA will decide what action, if any, to pursue, board spokesman Brent Bahler said.