Investigations

On February 16, 2021, a grand jury in the Southern District of Florida indicted David Alexander Barcena for falsely certifying that various aircraft parts were airworthy and eligible for installation on commercial aircraft. The indictment alleges that between December 2016 and May 2017, Barcena certified that commercial aircraft parts—including anti-icing valves, a hydraulic reservoir assembly, and a landing gear actuator—were ready for service using falsified FAA airworthiness approval tags. He allegedly sourced the tags from a defunct FAA-approved repair facility where he had been employed as the chief inspector.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with substantial assistance from the FAA Flight Standards Division Office, Miramar, Florida.

 

Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.