FAA expands warning to airlines over forged jet parts documents

Additional aircraft may be at risk of containing components sold by a London-based parts distributor accused of forging airworthiness records, according to US aviation safety regulators.

Regulators in the US and Europe have accused AOG Technics Ltd. of selling parts for certain engine models made by General Electric Co. and CFM International Inc. that were accompanied by forged records stating they were appropriate for installation.

In a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin issued Tuesday, the FAA said parts from other manufacturers “have been confirmed to have been handled by AOG Technics and therefore, we cannot isolate this concern to just the engines” identified earlier this year. The agency didn’t identify any other manufacturers in the bulletin. An FAA representative on Wednesday declined to comment beyond the bulletin. 

The agency’s notice represents a potential widening of a scandal, first reported by Bloomberg, that has forced airlines, manufacturers and maintenance shops around the globe to scour their records for parts sold by AOG Technics. The suspect parts, which were backed by forged airworthiness records, have turned up in about 145 engines in the fleets of some of the biggest airlines in the world, including Delta Air Lines Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. 

In the bulletin, the FAA said it does not consider the issue to be an “unsafe condition” that would warrant a rule requiring repairs. However, the agency said its investigation is ongoing and it may change that assessment in the future. The FAA also said that to date, no “critical parts” have been found with forged or tampered airworthiness documentation, which the agency would consider to be a potential safety issue.