Avantair Exec Hid Evidence After Plane Part Fell Off

TAMPA, FL – David Esteves, 52, of Port Richey, Florida, admitted in federal court today to deliberately sabotaging a federal investigation into a potentially catastrophic aviation incident. The former Director of Maintenance for Avantair, Inc., a now-defunct fractional aircraft ownership company, pleaded guilty to obstructing proceedings before a federal agency or department. Esteves now faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, though a sentencing date remains unconfirmed.

The case stems from a July 28, 2012 incident where a Piaggio P.180 Avanti aircraft operated by Avantair shed its left elevator while taking off from Camarillo, California. Miraculously, the plane managed to land in San Diego and even continued on to Henderson, Nevada with passengers, despite the pilot reporting significant control difficulties. That distress was chillingly captured on the plane’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). Avantair, headquartered at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, was already operating on thin ice.

Upon landing in Henderson, the missing elevator was discovered, and a far more alarming issue came to light: the nuts and bolts securing the right elevator were dangerously loose. Federal regulations, and Avantair’s own internal policies, clearly mandated the immediate quarantine of the aircraft pending investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) and Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”). Both agencies promptly dispatched investigators.

But before the feds could get their hands on the evidence, Esteves took matters into his own hands. He allegedly instructed a third-party contractor to remove the dangerously loose right elevator and ship it back to Avantair headquarters – a clear attempt to conceal a critical safety flaw. Even more damning, Esteves ordered the contractor to power up the aircraft, fully aware this would erase the CVR, including the recording of the pilot’s desperate attempts to control the failing plane during the flight to Henderson. It was a calculated effort to bury the truth.

Prosecutors allege Esteves’ actions weren’t about simple negligence; they were a deliberate attempt to obstruct the NTSB and FAA’s investigation into the accident and Avantair’s continued operation of aircraft in an unsafe condition. The investigation was spearheaded by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Gerard is prosecuting the case. The fallout from this incident and Esteves’ subsequent actions could reignite scrutiny on the now-defunct Avantair and the standards of maintenance it employed. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it moves toward sentencing and beyond, digging for any further evidence of negligence or wrongdoing within the company.