Investigations

Gary Key, president of Key Enterprises, Inc. an FAA-certified repair station in Oilton, OK, was fined $15,000 and ordered to spend 8 months in jail by a U.S. District Court judge in Tulsa, OK, for falsifying FAA airworthiness approval tags on jet combustion chambers used on military or civilian aircraft. To increase profits, Key directed his employees to skip required repair specifications such as applying a special hardening coating to bushings in fuel combustion chambers, an omission that can cause engine fires and explosions. Repairs were falsified for Pratt & Whitney JT8 jet engine combustion liners, and FAA has ordered Key Enterprises to alert customers to potential problems. Key pleaded guilty in April. OIG investigated the case jointly with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, with assistance from FAA and NASA.