On August 19, 2016, Hilario Hernandez, owner of Max Avionics, LLC, Miami, Florida, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Miami, for fraudulently certifying that aircraft parts were approved for return to service. Max Avionics is an FAA-authorized aircraft repair station in Miami. 

 

Hernandez was sentenced to 18 months’ probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. Hernandez was also ordered to surrender his FAA Repairman certificate and denied reapplication for 2 years. 

 

DOT-OIG’s investigation found that Max Avionics and Hernandez accepted aircraft parts from various customers in order to conduct repairs and return them to service. However, a number of those aircraft parts were not on the company’s FAA-approved capability list authorizing it to perform those repairs. Although Hernandez did not have this authorization, he completed the maintenance release forms, fraudulently certifying that those repaired parts were ready to be installed on aircraft. Hernandez also made false statements to FAA inspectors in furtherance of these violations.