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Guyanese pilot takes plea deal ahead of US trial

Sep 29, 2010 News


– faces up to five years in prison, $250,000 fine

TETERBORO, NEW JERSEY — The pilot of a now-grounded jet charter firm that came under sharp federal scrutiny following a spectacular 2005 crash at Teterboro Airport pleaded guilty yesterday to making dozens of illegal flights, as part of what prosecutors charged was an “anything goes” scheme by the company to pump up profits.
The plea in federal court in Newark came just weeks before Francis Vieira, 60, of Ft. Lauderdale, was set to go to trial with four others at Platinum Jet Management LLC.
Vieira told assistant U.S. Attorney Scott B. McBride that he falsified flight logs, altered weight and center of gravity graphs, and routinely flew illegal charter flights that violated federal safety regulations.
A high school graduate who was a contract employee for Platinum, Vieira, in a dark suit and glasses, stood before U.S. District Judge Dennis Cavanaugh as he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to defraud the United States.
Prosecutors have charged that Platinum, which counted among its passengers the rich and famous — including athletes, musicians and other high-end clients who paid as much as $90,000 per charter — was not certified to fly commercial charters. The company was also accused of misrepresenting itself, dispatching pilots not qualified to be in the cockpit.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the company worked to boost profits by routinely overloading planes with fuel at airports where it was cheaper, even when it caused aircraft to exceed allowable takeoff and landing weights, and then lying about the weight on flight manifests.
Platinum came under investigation after a Challenger CL-600 twin-engine jet crashed at Teterboro on Feb. 2, 2005. Investigators found that the jet, chartered by a New York equity firm with eight passengers on board, was nose-heavy and unable to lift off at the speed it was traveling.
The pilot of the flight, John Kimberling, aborted the takeoff, but was unable to stop, slamming slammed through an airport fence and across busy Route 46, before hitting a car and crashing into the side of a warehouse.
The cabin aide — a Miami model and dancer — did not know how to open the door of the plane to evacuate those inside. No one was killed, but all 11 people on the plane were injured, as were several others on the ground.
Vieira, who was not behind the controls of the flight that crashed, was among six other company officials ultimately charged in the case. Among them were Kimberling, who according to a National Transportation Safety Board report had been fired from a previous job for safety-related issues and poor airmanship, and had lied about his experience on job applications.
Also facing trial are Michael Brassington, the president, CEO, chief pilot and co-founder of Platinum Jet; his brother, Paul Brassington, a vice president and co-founder of Platinum Jet; and Brian McKenzie, director of maintenance.
Two others have already pleaded guilty, including Joseph Singh, director of charters, and Andre Budhan, a co-founder of the company.
Platinum was shut down by the FAA after the accident.
Vieira’s attorney, Neal Sonnett of Miami, said outside of court that his client had been under significant pressure and there were mitigating circumstances at play that will come out before he is sentenced.
“He’d like to move on with his life,” said Sonnett.
Vieira faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced by in January.

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