Impact Magazine June 2011 - Office of Inspector General - U.S. ...

IMPACT Magazine • June 2011
TRANSPORTATION SAFETY CRIMES
Platinum Jet Management was a charter air service for the stars. For the right price, its on-demand jets offered con-
venience and comfort to the rich and famous, as well as the not so famous. Its celebrity passengers included Luciano Pavarotti,
Joe Montana, Ozzy Osborne, Snoop Dogg, Michael Stipe, Shaquille O'Neal, Diddy, Jon Bon Jovi, Jay Z, and Beyonce Knowles.
However, its passengers had no clue that Platinum was operating an illegal air charter service and the company was not in compliance
with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety regulations.
Platinum's luck ran out on February 2, 2005, when one of its Bombardier Challenger jets ran off the departure end
of runway 6 at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Speeding at more than 110 knots, the jet crashed through a perimeter fence,
veered across 6 lanes of traffc on Route 46, struck an automobile, and plowed through the brick wall of a clothing outlet. The
aircraft was destroyed by the crash and the post-impact fre. The pilots, cabin aide, and eight passengers were injured along
with the occupants of the automobile and one person in the outlet. It was a miracle that no one was killed.
FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) responded to the scene to investigate the cause of the crash.
When FAA came across evidence that Platinum may have been operating without proper certifcation, the matter was referred
to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Offce of Inspector General (OIG) for criminal investigation.
The Company
Michael Brassington co-founded Platinum Jet
in 2002 along with his brother Paul and friend Andre
Budhan. Michael served as President, Chief Executive
Offcer, and Chief Line Pilot. He controlled all fight
operations, hired pilots, and drummed up customers.
He also few charter fight passengers, including
sports celebrities and pop stars. Paul served as Vice
President and booked fights, dispatched aircraft, and
solicited business.
OIG special agents would later establish that
almost from the beginning, the trio of owners conspired
to hide the lucrative business from the watchful
eye of the FAA, evading the stringent operating requirements
for commercial commuter and on-demand
charter operators. They represented Platinum as a
"Part 91" operator with FAA, while holding themselves out as a "Part 135" operator to the
fying public.
The Crash
The Platinum Challenger aircraft was scheduled for
a passenger charter fight to Chicago's Midway Airport on
the morning of February 2. The fight crew and cabin aide
arrived at the airport at approximately 5:20 a.m., and the pilots
performed the necessary pre-fight inspections and checks, and
noted no problems with the aircraft. In fact, the captain noted
the aircraft was "absolutely clean." The frst offcer monitored
Aerial photograph of the crash site
FAA designates several classifications of
operators, under Title 14, Code of Federal
Regulations. PART 91 OPERATORS
are private plane operators that are not
for public hire. PART 135 OPERATORS
are smaller airlines, usually on-demand
charter operators.
7