Regulator proposes $430,000 fine against Beechcraft

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $430,000 fine against Beechcraft Corp. for the faulty installation of fuel bladders on 43 Beechcraft Barons.

The FAA said in a news release that the proposed civil penalty is for Beechcraft’s alleged failure to maintain the required aircraft production quality control system.

The penalty stems from customers who reported fuel leaks on their recently manufactured Barons, a twin-engine piston airplane. The FAA said investigators determined the leaks were caused by improperly installed fuel bladders.

The FAA did not identify a date for when the airplanes were manufactured, and an FAA spokeswoman couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

The agency alleges Beechcraft did not follow its FAA-approved quality control process for the manufacture of the airplanes.

Beechcraft has 30 days from receipt of the agency’s enforcement letter to respond, the FAA said.

A spokeswoman for Textron Aviation, which owns Beechcraft, said in an e-mail to The Eagle that the company will be communicating with the FAA regarding the allegations.

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Regulator proposes $430,000 fine against Beechcraft."