The United States Attorney’s Office (Southern District of Ohio) announced in an October 6th news release that Cin-Air LP (“Cin-Air”) pleaded guilty in United States District Court to allegedly violating the Clean Water Act.
The alleged violation is stated to be related to causing and mishandling a jet fuel leak in March, 2019, at the Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The plea document is stated to indicate that on March 21, 2019:
. . . Cin-Air’s fuel pump at the Lunken Airport airplane hangar was inadvertently left running overnight after a mechanic refueled an airplane. A safety switch called the “dead man switch” had been previously altered with a zip tie, causing the switch to permanently stay in the open position.
Cin-Air employees discovered the next morning that the fuel pump had been running all night and leaking. An estimated 3,000 gallons of fuel spilled from the pump during the night.
The news release states that Cin-Air never notified the National Response Center and six hours later notified the Cincinnati Fire Department. Company employees are stated to have washed down the spill area with water into a nearby storm sewer.
The fuel spill is stated to have been traced to a cove in the Little Miami River. However, no jet fuel was observed in the main river channel. It is noted that an estimated 1,700 gallons of fuel were recovered. Further, Cin-Air is stated to have contributed approximately $220,000 toward nearly $440,000 in cleanup costs.
The company was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $90,000 fine. The probation includes a requirement that Cin-Air will:
- Provide training to all employees on spill prevention and cleanup
- Publish a full-page acknowledgement of its conduct in Business Air’s FBO Today
A copy of the news release can be downloaded here.
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