FAA Halts Operation of Rhoades Aviation/Transair

The action by the FAA to ground Rhoades Aviation relates to an investigation into maintenance deficiencies, not the July 2 ditching accident.

The nose of the Transair 737-200, which broke apart after ditching into the ocean following engine problems on July 2 near Oahu, Hawaii, lies on the sea floor. (Photo: NTSB)

By Colleen Mondor

July 17, 2021

The FAA has taken action to prevent Rhoades Aviation, which operates Transair flights, from “flying or conducting maintenance inspections.” The move effectively grounds Transair, which was involved in an accident on July 2 when Flight 810, an all-cargo Boeing 737-200, suffered engine trouble shortly after departing Honolulu International Airport and ditched off the coast of Oahu in Mamala Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued the two flight crewmembers shortly after the crash.

In a statement, the FAA said Rhoades Aviation hadn't complied with federal aviation regulations and had been under investigation since fall 2020. On June 13, the FAA notified the company that it identified deficiencies as part of the investigation and would rescind the operator's authority to conduct maintenance inspections. Rhoades failed to ask the agency to reconsider the decision within the prescribed 30-day period and so lost its maintenance authority at midnight Thursday. Without such authority, the FAA noted in its statement, the carrier also cannot legally operate.

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