Summary

On July 25, Barbara McCoy, a former quality assurance manager for Anco-Tech, Inc. (ANCO), Dearborn Heights, MI, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, PA to four counts of aiding and abetting the issuance of false certificates of conformance on titanium tubing which was used in the production of V-22 Osprey helicopters. ANCO, which went out of business in 2002, manufactured seamless titanium tubing used in various flight-critical and non-critical military and commercial aerospace applications, including hydraulic systems. The certificates falsely certified that the tubing had been manufactured and inspected in accordance with specifications, when in facts, required testing and inspection had not been done. Elaine Slomsky, another quality assurance manager for ANCO, pled guilty in June 2005 to making false statements by signing false certificates of conformance.

On June 7, 2005, ANCO and two of the firm’s former executives were charged by a grand jury with multiple counts of conspiracy, aircraft parts fraud and mail fraud related to the titanium tubing used on commercial aircraft. This ongoing investigation is being conducted with DCIS and NCIS. There have been no reported aircraft accidents or malfunctions attributable to the nonconforming titanium tubing, but FAA is considering issuing a safety alert to the commercial aviation industry.

Note: The charges contained in the indictment(s) are allegations and the defendant(s) are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.