California helicopter business sold used parts as new, risking customers’ lives, indictment says

The same day a helicopter broke apart and crashed in the Hudson River, killing all aboard, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles was formally accusing a local helicopter repair company of putting its customers at similar risk.

Federal prosecutors say for more than three years, Jared Michael Swensen, 48, of Ventura repaired and sold aircraft parts that were nearing the end of their service life but listed them as new. A failure of that equipment could have led to a deadly helicopter crash, prosecutors said.

The helicopter parts installed on customers’ aircraft were listed as having a few hundred service hours or in some instances being brand-new, when in reality the parts were closer to the end of their limit for service, according to the indictment.

Swensen operated his business, Light Helicopter Depot, out of the Oxnard Airport. He advertised that he was certified with an Airframe and Power Plant Certificate with inspection authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We specialize in bringing older and timed out aircraft back to life,” the company said in a now-deleted website advertising its services.

But in reality, prosecutors say, Swensen and his company made falsified entries on maintenance logbooks and altered sale orders and packing slips to match the falsified entries. The company is also accused of falsifying Federal Aviation Administration release certificates, used to show that an aircraft is airworthy.

On two occasions, Swensen and his company billed his customers for his service, including one bill for $13,000 and another for $23,700, according to court records.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General investigated the case and the FAA assisted.

If convicted, Swensen could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and up to 15 years in prison for each count of fraud involving aircraft parts. His business could also be fined up to $10 million for each aircraft parts fraud count and up to $1 million for each wire fraud count, according to prosecutors.

Swensen has not yet entered a plea in response to the charges, according to court records.