A shadowy UK-based company has been selling jet engine parts backed by fake inspection certificates that have entered at least 126 jets worldwide, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The largest airlines in the US were affected, including American, Delta, United and Southwest – which had to pull the affected aircraft from service to inspect them.
It is not yet known how long aircraft with non-certified parts from AOG Technics LTD have been flying, but the alarm was first raised in June by a European airline.
Without proper certification, the highly regulated aerospace industry can’t guarantee the part actually works — which could have dire consequences if it fails 30,000 feet in the air.
“When a supplier firm, in the supply chain, certifies that this meets all the standards, it must be guaranteed – and you should be able to take it at face value,” said Dean Ramnath Chellapa, an associate professor at Emory University, told 11 Berita Hidup.
But that doesn’t seem to be the case with AOG Technics. A closer investigation of the company – a middemand that supplies parts to aircraft manufacturers – revealed it used a virtual office in London near Buckingham Palace and fake employee profiles to make it appear more legitimate.
The company was founded in the UK in 2015 by Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, according to documents filed with Companies House in London, which keeps records of the owners of all businesses registered in the UK. He is believed to be 35 years old from Venezuela.
The parts supported by the fake documents are used in the CFM56 engine — the world’s best-selling jet engine, which is used in aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 models.REUTERS The airline is involved in a lawsuit against the company.Getty Images No incidents have been linked to the suspected fake parts has been identified.Tim Graham/Getty Images
America’s major airline is embroiled in a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of engaging in shady business practices to make $3 million in profits.
AOG Technics was originally listed as having property in the small seaside town of Hove, in southern England, but is now listed in a “virtual” office in central London, according to government filings.
Apparently the company only rents mailing addresses at that location for as little as $150 a month.
Zamora Yrala apparently built the company by touting experienced employees on LinkedIn — including a man named Ray Kwong, who is listed as chief commercial officer.
His LinkedIn profile said he had previous experience at Mitsubishi and Nissan, but the automaker could not confirm he worked for them.
Kwong’s profile picture shows a gray-haired Asian man in a white button-down shirt wearing a blue tie, which appears to be a stock image and used on other web pages.
A LinkedIn profile for a man named “Ray Kwong” claims he is chief commercial officer at London-based AOG Technics LTD. LinkedIn The same profile picture appears on another website, which lists him as a man named “Wang” who is a “factory owner.”
Another employee was listed as Martina Spencer, account manager for AOG Technics.
However, her photo was also used in an Amazon listing for women’s reading glasses.
The profile has been deleted, as AOG Technics faces a lawsuit in the UK for selling spare parts used in the CFM56 engine — the world’s best-selling jet engine, which is used in aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 models.
CFM, the company whose engines were affected by the alleged fraud, is concerned that the false paperwork may be used to exchange old parts for new, or offload parts that lack the traceability needed to ensure they are safe.
The company was first alerted to the falsified documents on June 21, when TAP Air Portugal’s maintenance team contacted CFM, saying it was concerned about documentation for a small part called a dampener received from AOG Technics.
“The part appears to be older than represented,” CFM claimed in court documents, claiming the certificate contained a forged signature.
In just 20 days, the same airline found 24 other forms from AOG Technics that contained “significant discrepancies.”
The affected engines account for less than 1% of Delta’s mainline fleet, and no aircraft are flying with unapproved engine parts, a Delta spokesperson told Fox News Digital, noting that the discovery of the issue has not affected the airline’s scheduled flights at all.
Another employee was listed as Martina Spencer, account manager for AOG Technics. LinkedIn The same woman, wearing the same glasses, appears in an Amazon listing for women’s reading glasses.Amazon
United also found unapproved parts on only two of its planes, “including one that was already undergoing routine maintenance,” the company told Fox News.
“We replaced the affected engines on both aircraft before they were returned to service, and we will continue to investigate as new information becomes available from our suppliers.”
Southwest claims only one plane has parts supported by false documents.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we made the immediate decision to immediately replace the part on that single engine,” a spokesman said.
Delta said it took “a small number” of engines out of service to inspect their parts.
Among the parts supported by the fake documents are turbine blades — a critical component of the aircraft’s propulsion system, the European Union’s Aviation Safety Administration has determined.
Fortunately, no incidents associated with suspected fake parts have been identified.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
