Aircraft-Parts accreditor of AOG exits business, FAA says

The company that certified a UK supplier accused of faking documentation on thousands of jet-engine components has exited the business. 

Transonic Aviation Consultants informed the US Federal Aviation Administration on Jan. 29 that it would no longer participate in an agency program for industry oversight of aircraft parts distributors, the FAA said. 

The company was one of four organizations considered acceptable by the FAA to audit sellers of spare aircraft components to ensure suppliers follow best practices laid out in agency guidance.

“Transonic advised the FAA they would no longer maintain their accreditation in the voluntary program,” the agency said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Florida-based Transonic’s President, Robert Pina, told Bloomberg last year that in 2021 it had reviewed and accredited AOG Technics Ltd., a little-known distributor that is alleged to have supplied aircraft engine parts with bogus documentation.

Transonic has told customers that it was shutting its doors and will no longer provide new certifications or renewals, according to an email sent to one of its clients that was shared with Bloomberg News. 

Bloomberg was unable to independently authenticate the email. Pina didn’t respond to messages seeking comment. 

Transonic’s move highlights how one of the biggest scandals in the civil aviation market continues to ripple through the industry more than five months after Bloomberg first reported on AOG’s practices. 

The case forced airlines to inspect their fleets for so-called suspected unapproved parts. Airlines from China to the US and Europe pulled aircraft from service to extract dubious components, leaving jets grounded and racking up millions of dollars in costs. 

In December, the UK’s top fraud authorities raided the home of the AOG director at the center of the scandal and arrested him for suspected fraud.

AOG Technics couldn’t be reached; it closed its website last year. The AOG director didn’t respond to a phone message seeking comment.