By Alan Levin
USA Today
WASHINGTON — A fatal 2007 plane crash might have been averted if federal inspectors had noticed that the charter airline allowed a convicted drug runner to conduct critical safety checks, accident investigators ruled Wednesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the June 4, 2007, crash into Lake Michigan on the two pilots. They suffered an emergency shortly after takeoff from Milwaukee that made their jet difficult to control, but they should have been able to return for a safe landing, the NTSB said.
Both pilots were killed, as were four members of a University of Michigan lung transplant team. The investigation found that the charter company, Marlin Air, falsified training records and routinely sidestepped safety requirements. In addition, the pilots were unfamiliar with the jet, the investigation found.
The problems had gone unnoticed by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors, the NTSB said. In particular, the captain on the Cessna jet had been convicted of drug smuggling but had been allowed by the FAA to conduct pilot inspections and oversee the company’s safety efforts. It was this pilot, Capt. William Serra, 59, who apparently falsified training records, the NTSB said.
Serra was convicted in 1987 of conspiracy to import Quaaludes. Authorities said he piloted a plane with 2,100 pounds of the drug from Canada to the USA in 1981.
“This accident puts an exclamation point on many safety deficiencies that the safety board has uncovered in the past,” NTSB Chairwoman Debbie Hersman said.
The FAA will study the NTSB report to look for lessons, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said.
Serra’s wife, Deborah, defended his actions. She said he was a careful pilot who crashed because of a mechanical failure on the jet.
NTSB investigators found abundant evidence of safety problems at Marlin, including witnesses who said that Serra routinely violated federal rules. The company was also experiencing financial difficulties. Despite this, FAA inspectors did not find any problems either before or after the accident.
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