CFM and GE hope to get the full picture of certificate forgery soon

Engine makers CFM International, GE Aerospace, and Safran Group hope to get a complete picture of the extent of unapproved parts sold with fraudulent documentation by UK-based company AOG Technics within fourteen days. The company and owner Jose Zamora Yrala were summoned on Wednesday by the London High Court to release documentation within two weeks. So far, 96 engines have been identified that include parts sourced from AOG Technics. CFM and GE hope to get the full picture of certificate forgery soon. CFM, GE Aerospace and some of its subsidiaries, and Safran have been quick to seek a ruling from the High Court, just three months after the fraud was discovered. They did so in the interest of safety, the parties said on Wednesday: “The sale of aircraft jet engine parts with falsified Release Certificates and/or without genuine Release Certificates potentially puts aircraft safety in jeopardy and renders it impossible for operators who have purchased these parts to verify the airworthiness of their engines into which the parts have been or might be installed. (…) The evidence gathered so far suggests that a large number of the Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPs) have entered the supply chain through AOG Technics and some have already been fitted to engines in operation.” CFM stated in Court that it had identified more than 76 distinct falsified EASA Form 1 release certificates accompanying sales of thousands of parts for the CFM56. These parts also include non-serialized parts like fasteners, nuts, bolts, and seals. “Most were forged to identify (falsely) the Second Claimant (Safran) as the issuer. Some of the parts were already installed on at least 68 separate engines, by the time the forgeries were discovered. Some forged EASA 1 forms were sent to more than one customer of the First Defendant (AOG Technics).” One falsified release certificate that used Form AAC-038 of the Chinese regulatory agency CAAC accompanied a sale of 32 overhauled CFM56 Engine high-pressure compressor stage 1 vanes. Two falsified FAA Form 8130-3 release certificates were found for hundreds of parts for CF6. To date, CFM and GE Aerospace said they have identified 86 falsified documents related to 55 CFM56 part numbers, including 85 EASA forms and one CAAC certificate. Another two are FAA certificates that cover two CF6 part numbers. The CFM56 powers Boeing 737 Classic and Next Generation models and the Airbus A320ceo family. The CF6 is in operation on the Boeing 767 and its military variants as well as on the Airbus A330ceo, Boeing 747-400, and older Airbus A300s and A310s. TAP identified the first falsified documents The falsification of the release certificates of engine parts became known to CFM and GE, when they were contacted by TAP Maintenance & Engineering, the subsidiary of TAP Air Portugal, on June 14 this year. The Portuguese MRO company discovered three suspected EASA documents for CFM parts that were sold by AOG Technics and supposedly issued by Safran. Investigation learned that the purported signatory was not that of a Safran employee and that the document had been falsified. The falsified release certificates were first discovered in June by TAP Maintenance & Engineering. (stock photo TAP Air Portugal) Between July 6 and 11, another 24 forged EASA forms were found. CFM, Safran, and GE Aerospace then informed EASA. On July 25, the first falsified FAA certificate was discovered, so the FAA was informed too. On July 27 and 31, CFM and GE published an all-operators letter about the falsified release certificates to bring this to the attention of all airlines and MRO companies. EASA announced on August 4 that it was examining the situation, which was first reported by Bloomberg. The forgery spread to China, where on August 30 the CAAC identified a forged certificate from AOG Technics. Earlier that month, a forged FAA form was presented by an airline customer in South America for a part that was supposed to have been produced by BAe. Other parties Still subject to further investigation is the extent of the falsification and how big AOG Technics is. The company, which is listed in a London office, seems to consist of just three persons, including the owner. CFM and GE say they have reason to believe that the identity of two other members of staff has been falsified. That’s why lawyers Matthew Reeve and Joseph England representing the engine makers requested in the High Court to urgently seek clarity if Zamora Yrala is the sole party responsible or whether there are other parties involved as suppliers of the parts or of falsified documents. They fear that documents and evidence will be destroyed. The company's website is already offline. Judge Richard Meade ruled on Wednesday that AOG Technics and Zamora Yrala should disclose documents for 230 transactions within two weeks, so until October 4. In a statement, CFM says it welcomes the ruling: “We applaud the Court’s ruling compelling AOG Technics to release documentation that will aid the industry in more rapidly identifying parts sold with fraudulent documentation so they can be promptly addressed. Safety is our first priority, and we are taking aggressive legal action against AOG Technics for selling unapproved aircraft engine parts with falsified airworthiness documentation. We remain united with the aviation community in working to keep unapproved parts out of the global supply chain.” So far, CFM and GE are not aware of operational issues that stem from suspected parts, nor that falsified release certificates are associated with life-limited parts. Newer LEAP engines are not implicated.

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