PEARLAND, Texas — A Pearland man pleaded guilty to falsifying aircraft inspection records in October 2020 on a plane that later experienced in-flight power loss and crashed, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.
The DOJ said Roland P. Franklin,52, admitted that he fraudulently claimed to be an Inspection Authorization holder and that he falsely certified an annual inspection on an aircraft, determining that it was airworthy.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires most aircraft registered in the U.S. to undergo annual inspections performed by an FAA-certified mechanic. Additionally, the FAA requires an IA holder to certify that the inspection was done properly.
According to the DOJ, Franklin was neither an IA holder nor performed the inspection he claimed to have done.
A judge has accepted Franklin's guilty plea and he is set to be sentenced on May 24. He faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
The DOJ said he is permitted to stay on bond until his sentencing hearing.
