Seaplane That Crashed Had Wing Repairs, Maintenance Questions

The vintage Chalk's Ocean Airways seaplane that crashed last year had several major repairs to the wing that separated just after takeoff on the fatal flight, but correct maintenance procedures were not always followed, federal investigators said Thursday.

Some Chalk's pilots became so worried about overall maintenance problems in 2004 that three captains quit, according to documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board about the Dec. 19 crash off Miami Beach that killed all 20 people on board.

"There was a widespread perception that pilot complaints were not properly addressed by maintenance and that it was often necessary to write up the same problem repeatedly until it was fixed," investigators quoted a Chalk's pilot, Robert Lutz, as saying.

One of the pilots who quit, Grady Washatka, said in his resignation letter released by the NTSB that there was "blatant neglect" in many maintenance areas, including engine problems, corrosion and cracks and issues with the airplanes' weight.

"We love this company and we are trying to avoid the inevitable disaster that will ensue if these issues are not addressed," Washatka wrote on Jan. 13, 2005 - less than a year before the crash.

The documents do not say what caused the 58-year-old Grumman G-73T Turbo Mallard to crash en route to Bimini, Bahamas. Investigators at the scene in December quickly found fatigue cracks in supports of the right wing that came off just after the seaplane took off and similar cracks in left wing structures.

Mark Marks, husband of the flight's captain, Michele Marks, told investigators that his wife frequently complained about maintenance of the seaplanes and that the company wasn't spending enough money on the aircraft.

"Michele was becoming scared and talked about maintenance concerns all the time," the NTSB quoted Mark Marks as saying. "They were having close calls that were becoming more frequent."

But much of the reports released Thursday focus on maintenance and repair work done to the right wing.

The roots of both wings on the airplane suffered several fuel leaks in 2005 and pilots frequently described an "elevator flutter" or vibration in the months before the crash. In November - only a few weeks before it went down - these vibrations were noted in writing nine times, the NTSB found.

There were major repairs to the right wing in July 2000 and in December 1991, when inspectors found corrosion and popped rivets under the skin. There was also major work done on the left wing in May 1992, again because of damage from corrosion.

But NTSB officials were unable to locate records for some of these repairs. And in some cases, maintenance procedures were not followed.

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