State airplane blunder interests feds

From KRQE-TV.com - A state plane-related blunder made by the Martinez Administration soon after taking office this winter has prompted a federal investigation into the incident, according to official correspondence. The Federal Aviation Administration wants to know if the state has inadvertently stumbled into the charter business, according to an FAA letter sent to the state in early March.That’s because a Larry Barker investigation discovered that the state of New Mexico in February allowed a Hollywood director and his three assistants to fly from Las Vegas, N.M. to Pagosa Springs, Colo., to scout a location along the Cumbres Toltec Railroad. However, the problem was that only elected or appointed government officials are allowed to fly on state planes. State officials admitted the mistake soon after it came to light. Gov. Susana Martinez – who, after taking office, vowed to clean up a history of abuses related to the three state airplanes – later got NBC/Universal to reimburse taxpayers for the $4,000 cost of the flight. The company was scouting a location for a television show. But by doing right by taxpayers, Martinez may have done wrong by the FAA. To the FAA, it appeared that the NBC flight was similar to a charter flight. And the FAA has strict rules about charter flights and how charter businesses operate. The state of New Mexico is not authorized to fly charters. Not long after News 13 story aired in early May, the FAA started its own investigation into the incident. In a letter sent to the state, the federal agency said operating a state plane commercially and without a permit goes against federal regulations. Read more

State airplane blunder interests feds