FAA Proposes Penalties for North County-Based Airline Company

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing two civil penalties totaling $633,000 against Trans States Airlines, Inc.—a Bridgeton-based company—for allegedly operating two Embraer 145 regional jets on 3,660 passenger flights while the planes did not comply with Federal Aviation Regulations, Avionics Intelligence reports.

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From the report:

In the first case, the FAA alleges Trans States improperly installed replacement radio altimeter antenna cables on two airplanes, which the airline then operated on 268 revenue passenger flights when they were not in compliance. Inspectors found the new cables lying unsecured to the airframe inside each aircraft's large aft wing-to-fuselage fairing. Inspectors found the old, apparently defective cables still mounted to the walls where the new cables should have been secured to prevent them from chafing. The proposed civil penalty is $ 322,000.

The FAA discovered the alleged violations during inspections in 2009, after Trans States returned in the leased aircraft to their owner, the report said.

Trans States, according to its website, is the fifth largest independent regional airlines in the country, with hubs of operation in Chicago and Washington D.C.-area.

Its corporate headquarters is located in Bridgeton, along with its training and maintenance facilities. The airline flies more than 2.1 million passengers annually with more than 150 daily flights flying to nearly 40 cities. 

Avionics Intelligence, according to its website, offers market and technological analysis for the airline industry.