False log entries by RCMP pilots
Pilots of the Ottawa Air Section (OAS) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Air Services Branch (ASB) have made false entries in Aircraft Journey log books and flown overweight, in contravention of the Canadian Aviation Regulations, according to a report by the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.
Pilots of the Ottawa Air Section (OAS) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Air Services Branch (ASB) have made false entries in Aircraft Journey log books and flown overweight, in contravention of the Canadian Aviation Regulations, according to a report submitted to the Ottawa parliament by Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Mario Dion. In response, the Police has expressed concern that the report’s wording suggests ‘deliberate deception or malfeasance on the part of the RCMP personnel’.
The investigation was launched in November 2013. Evidence was collected including technical reports and testimonies from subject matter experts. Preliminary reports were shared with the RCMP for comment in March and June 2014.
The findings of wrongdoing pertain to entries made in 2012 in the Aircraft Journey Logbooks (AJLs) of a Piaggio Avanti P180 and a Pilatus PC-12 flown by the OAS. The report states that the OAS flew aircraft that were overweight on several occasions: “In some instances, AJL entries were above the regulated weight capacity, whereas in others, entries pertaining to the weight of the passengers, fuel and/or baggage were unrealistic. A pilot acknowledged that he himself had worked backwards to make the numbers work on paper. Two other witnesses alleged that almost all pilots did so, a statement which was supported by a subject-matter expert who also completed a review of AJLs completed by members of the ASB. Regardless of whether false entries were deliberate, or whether they were the result of a simple calculation error, the fact remains that if the information contained in AJLs is incorrect, the RCMP cannot ensure that their aircraft were being operated within the weight and balance limits.” However, the report added that without knowing what the true weight figures were for the fuel, baggage and persons, the investigators could not conclude that the overweight flights created a substantial and specific danger to the life, health, or safety of persons pursuant.
The review of logbooks revealed suspicious entries, such as a weight of 880 lb (400 kg) for five passengers, which included two pilots that witnesses described as ‘heavy men’ with an estimated combined weight of 550 lb (250 kg). In another AJL, the baggage weight was entered as 50 lb on every leg of a journey, regardless of whether the number of people onboard was two, four or six. One AJL showed a fuel weight of 1,900 lb for a 3.4-hour flight, which was judged to be ‘very low’ given that other AJLs showed that all flights of over 1.2 hours in duration showed between 2,000 and 2,600 lb of fuel at take-off. A number of incidences were also found where the total weight of an aircraft was recorded as being just below the legal maximum, but when all figures were added up (including passengers, fuel and baggage), the total exceeded the maximum.
Dion noted that the RCMP collaborated fully, provided all requested information, and is taking necessary measures to ensure that the wrongdoing uncovered will not recur. He added: “I am satisfied with the RCMP’s response to ensuring that the Canadian Aviation Regulations are respected by their members.”
In a statement included in the report, the RCMP comments: “The RCMP accepts that some pilots of the OAS have, on a limited number of occasions, entered incorrect data when completing the AJLs for two Ottawa-based aircraft, thereby failing to maintain records in accordance with the Canadian Aviation Regulations. The RCMP also welcomes Commissioner Dion’s confirmation that there was no finding that ‘pilots deliberately falsified aircraft journey logs’, and that at no point in time did the RCMP endanger the life, health and safety of persons. Prior to the initiation of [the investigation], the RCMP proactively reviewed its practices and procedures to ensure compliance with the CARs, including engaging Transport Canada to provide additional guidance and enhanced oversight.”
The RCMP added: “Moreover, the RCMP would like to emphasise that it is concerned with the language of ‘making false entries’ in the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner’s (OPSIC’s) finding of wrongdoing, as this suggests a deliberate deception or malfeasance on the part of the RCMP personnel. The OPSIC has not considered that AJLs alone do not prove that an aircraft was flown overweight, and did not study the required variables for calculating fuel requirements, such as taxi times prior to takeoff and weather, as well as the path and altitude at which the aircraft was flown. While there were data irregularities and incorrect AJL entries on the part of the RCMP pilots, the RCMP does not believe that pilots made these entries through deceptive intent.”
Four other allegations were also investigated, but these were not substantiated by the findings of the investigation. These were that the OAS allowed aircraft to be flown without valid Certificates of Airworthiness, that the OAS failed to maintain flight logs in accordance with the Canadian Aviation Regulations, that a civilian member scheduled OAS pilots with expired credentials to fly, and that a civilian member had convinced the RCMP to store its aircraft at the hangar of a commercial business at an ‘exorbitant’ cost.