Former Carson Heli VP Faces Jail for Crash Record Fraud

[golden hawk]

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ ... cord-fraud

Former Carson VP Faces Jail for Crash Record Fraud


by Mark Huber

- April 21, 2015, 9:49 AM


A former Carson Helicopters vice president is facing a federal prison sentence for his role in falsifying helicopter performance charts. The fraud was discovered during a National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the crash of a company Sikorsky S-61N that killed nine and injured four in 2008, while on a firefighting mission in California.

Steven Metheny faces sentencing on June 15 after pleading guilty in December to one felony count of filing a false statement and of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Forest Service. The federal government charged that Metheny deliberately falsified the charts to exaggerate the helicopter’s performance and thereby fraudulently obtain up to $51.7 million in Forest Service contracts. In a sentencing memo, the U.S. Attorney’s office also noted that Metheny stole and sold parts from Carson, using the funds to remodel his home and buy jewelry.

In 2010 the NTSB concluded that the falsified charts deliberately understated the helicopter’s weight and were a contributory factor in the crash. Carson voluntarily surrendered its Part 135 charter certificate shortly after the crash to concentrate on its helicopter modification business.

[single_swine_herder]

Sounds like a typical successful aviation manager to me.

Must have learned the basics of the art and science of airline management in the CAR703 world of northern Canada.

Undoubtedly, the major regret this fellow has is getting caught.

[Meatservo]

Heck, I've been putting myself down as 180 pounds for twenty years now. The lie gets dirtier at the rate, on average, of about two pounds per year.

Still, I'm surprised this guy wasn't able to find a couple of pilots to shovel under the bus over this.

[North Shore]

Heck, I've been putting myself down as 180 pounds for twenty years now. The lie gets dirtier at the rate, on average, of about two pounds per year.

Maybe you should become 'Vegetableservo'?

[xsbank]

Or "Tofuservo?"

[Nark]

I'm glad this douche bag is getting what's coming to him, but let's not forget the culpability of the PIC.

Helicopters (Sikorsky, specifically) have the ability to weigh themself by the torque they use to hover. Reference a chart and, you can accurately determine your weight.

If you don't have the power, or safe margin, tell your boss to pound sand.
I've only had one flying job I'm willing to die for, however I will not put my crew of 3 others at risk, just so I/we can accomplish the mission.

[midwingcrisis]

single_swine_herder please do tell bout the 703 stuff up north

[ScudRunner]

I like his new avatar

[cncpc]

Sounds like a typical successful aviation manager to me.

Must have learned the basics of the art and science of airline management in the CAR703 world of northern Canada.

Details please. PM is good.

[bmc]

Sounds like a typical successful aviation manager to me.

Typical uneducated pilot comment.

[single_swine_herder]

single_swine_herder please do tell bout the 703 stuff up north

I don't have enough time left on the planet to even begin.

[Panama Jack]

This guy is from Medford, OR, and an ex-US Army aviator, so I doubt he cut his teeth in the black art of CAR 703

[Panama Jack]

This guy is from Medford, OR, and an ex-US Army aviator, so I doubt he cut his teeth in the black art of CAR 703

http://www.kval.com/news/local/225052952.html?mobile=y

[Meatservo]

Sounds like a typical successful aviation manager to me.

Typical uneducated pilot comment.

Yeah, right. As if the preponderance of 703 managers have any more education than an average pilot. Most of them either got to where they are today through a conspicuous lack of talent doing the actual flying or they swirled down the drain of various attempts to manage something else until they landed in the grease-trap of 703 aviation.

[FL7377]

Bahahaha!!! You just sumed up every flight boss I`ve ever had, except maybe 2.

[iflyforpie]

Let's see if I can be one.

I made up an excel spreadsheet in three hours that determines everyone else is gouging, so we will underbid them all and get all of the business.

We just bought a really cool plane, let's see if we can make money with it.

You're lucky you have a job at all... I've got ten resumes on my desk from more qualified people willing to work for less.

That plane has to depart tomorrow... phase check and weather front be damned.

The last guy made it in.

Well just keep that out of the book. (Snags, deferred defects, nonMELable items, fuel uploads, actual weights, actual air times, whoopsies that can be hidden).

We'd better write that in the book. (Maintenance releases/ADs/SBs that are due but haven't been done, training records for training that hasn't been done, falsified duty times, optimistic empty weights).

[DonutHole]

"It flew in!"