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FAA says Vienna aviation mechanic school won’t face penalties
FAA decides to look at ‘possible educational options’ for school
By Ed Runyan
VIENNA
The Federal Aviation Administration says it has determined that the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics won’t face civil penalties as a result of the March 27 accident at its Vienna campus that injured two students, one seriously.
An aircraft propeller on an engine mounted on a stand struck one student in the head. He remains hospitalized in critical condition at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. Another student was struck in the hand and suffered a broken hand.
“After an initial review, we’ve determined there is no need for an additional investigation,” Elizabeth Isham Cory, FAA spokeswoman, said in an email.
Based on the investigation, the FAA has several options, “ranging from civil penalties to education and counseling,” she said.
The FAA has decided to look at “possible educational options for the school, which could include safety presentations,” she said.
The FAA certifies schools teaching aircraft maintenance, including PIA. If a student is injured working on an aircraft engine in a shop area, the FAA looks into it for safety reasons, such as the “adequacy of the equipment/tools and equipment being used,” the FAA said in an earlier statement.
Meanwhile, Vienna police Chief Bob Ludt said the police department is still carrying out its investigation into the accident while taking a “step back” to allow the FAA to complete what it is doing.
Ludt said he expects to meet with the FAA so his department and the FAA can coordinate their work and make sure the FAA has all the information it needs from him.
Vienna police was the only agency involved after the FAA initially told him the accident was not under FAA jurisdiction. Ludt also notified other agencies and got similar answers.
The students were injured when one of them turned the propeller on the engine to move the oil in it, and the motor started up momentarily, Ludt said the day of the accident.
It’s the first time his department had been called to the facility at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport for an injury since PIA began there in 2006, Ludt said.
Ludt said of the student who was struck in the head, “What we are being told is he is doing somewhat better.”