A couple of years ago I "Published a couple of stories" about a huge fraud that impacted the spare parts market for mostly commercial aircraft. Well the scammer got a few years of prison for doing so. Here is the news report from "Aviation News" This for those Aviation nuts among us.
The person behind AOG Technics, the broker that sold thousands of parts with falsified records that rendered them unairworthy, was sentenced to 56 months in prison, the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said Feb. 23.
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, operating from a home office, sold some 60,000 engine parts—many of them in bulk—to airlines and MRO shops from January 2019 to July 2023, investigators found.
Shipments were backed by fake authorized released certificates (ARCs) created on a home computer claiming the parts were new or overhauled, when they were not.
Zamora bolstered his scheme with emails from fake employees to some customers, the SFO found.
The ruse unraveled in mid-2023 when a TAP Air Portugal technician questioned the validity of a supposedly new CFM International CFM56 part. TAP contacted Safran, which supposedly provided the part’s accompanying ARC, and GE Aerospace, which co-own CFM.
The manufacturers confirmed the document was fake and alerted authorities.
Airlines were forced to ground aircraft with AOG parts installed. While no in-service incidents were linked to the suspect parts, the disruption cost operators an estimated $53 million, SFO said.
The SFO’s probe led Zamora to plead guilty in December 2025 to fraudulent trading.
The issue also led to the creation of Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition, an independent group of industry stakeholders focused on identifying ways to reduce parts-related fraud. The group’s initial report and recommendations have helped drive interest and investment in digital records, including ARCs, and broader parts integrity validation efforts.
I remember your post. Prison time seems too tame for such an egregious affront to humanity. Keel hauling before prison is probably a better choice.
ReplyDeleteHey Jess,
DeleteYeah, it raises doubts on the safety of the industry, and if we have planes turn into "lawndarts", it makes people :jumpy"
The ASCIC was formed in February 2024. The coalition members are various aviation companies. The coalition is headed by a former head of NTSB and a former deputy of U.S. Transportation Dept.
ReplyDeleteSo, a coalition of aviation companies headed by fedgov bureaucrats. Quell surprise.
The forming of the the coalition had been called 'timely', yet this level of fraud in comm av has been known for decades. I am wondering why now (Feb2024 being recent) after these many decades. I think maybe the forming is in response to this big bust of a fraudster.
That is, the industry knew, but continued to abide the fraud until it couldn't.
I admit that my suspicion may be shaded by personal experience in commercial aviation. Pencilwhipping is well known.
Hey Rick,
DeleteI can neither deny or confirm "pencil whipping", I do know I don't do that because I will not risk my license and collect fines that my employer won't pay because I was a dumbass.