Precision Airmotive Ceases Carburetor Production

[doug8082a]

In case folks hadn't heard about it already... Another victim of litigation and liability.

http://www.precisionairmotive.com/

http://www.precisionairmotive.com/pr-carbdiscon.htm

[1SeventyZ]

That is unfortunate, I heard about this over the weekend.

It's aviation though, why not (gulp) just raise prices? I hate to see manufacturers go out of business because of overwhelming insurance rates, but it's a cost, just like the rent. Why not redirect it to the end user?

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

That is unfortunate, I heard about this over the weekend.

Unfortunate is an understatement. I understand Precision is the last company making any carbs and carb parts for piston powered aircraft.

Without their parts ALL carbureted piston powered aircraft will eventually stop flying.

[Romeo Tango]

You know folks, I think we live in a modern day Rome. We are fiddling while a few lampreys suck the life out of the system. And unfortunately, they are the ones writing the laws, so we have little recourse to fix it. It all arises from our own greed, of course, without the average Joe to litigate it would not happen. But it has.

I recommend everyone read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand to get more background on this, and what it will take to fix it.

Sigh

[flyguy]

It's really hard to point to the exact time when the blood-sucking ligitaors began the destruction of what we knew as the wonderful experience of personal aviation. It is so like the fable of the goose that was laying the "golden eggs" and greed in that story exactly mirrors the unfettered gouging for a few million bucks by these shortsighted creeps. They garner 40 - 50% of the "take" and then fail to look at what the end result of this blatant greed, that is so hurtful, will do to small busineses and the jobs it provides. Here is what I wonder. What industry will they take on after they have destroyed the cash cow of general aviation.

People can make a statement "oh all lawyers aren't "ambulance chasers" and they would be right BUT those that aren't haven't made much of an effort to try to stop the runaway ligitators that are doing their best to destroy much of the way of life we love and cherish.

There are hundreds of examples that each of us can relate. I know personally of an instance where a pilot, going into a divorce, got really drunk, took off in his plane then crashed and killed himself. The investigation by authorities was thourough and cited "pilot error" as the only cause. But when the "widow", now a grieving lump of greed, got the attornys together, they sued every piece part manufacturer of that airplane! All the way from the Piper name name of the airframe, Lycoming (enging), Concord(battery) to BF Goodrich, who only made the tires!

Why some realistic judge didn't send the whole bunch to jail for the frivilous lawsuits was beyond any of us who knew the details of the incident. I do not remember all of the outcome but some defendants either settled out of court to avoid more expensive legal costs or won a defense which still cost them large sums of money.

Do we have recourse?????? Many more question than answers.

[Jr.CubBuilder]

Get one of your kids through law school and past the BAR exam then file multiple lawsuits against the insurance comapanies when your carburator wears out. Suit some grieving widows who are probably on permenent vacation and will loose the case by failing to appear in court. Then use all that money to lobby for liability protection covering general aviation manufacturers

[GAHorn]

A lawyer will go broke in a small town.

But two lawyers will make a pretty good living.

[170C]

Maybe someone in a foreign country willl buy the patent and manufacturer the carb's & parts thus avoiding the US attorneys.

[N3243A]

I recommend everyone read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand to get more background on this, and what it will take to fix it.

Excellent Post. Who is John Galt?

Bruce

[doug8082a]

Here's an update on AVWeb:

http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/Carb ... 610-1.html

Precision Airmotive has reached a tentative deal with “a group including Tim Henderson, President of Aero Accessories, and others involved in the manufacture of the Tempest brand of general aviation products,” to buy Precision’s line of MSA aircraft carburetors, according to a news release from Aero Accessories/Tempest issued Monday. The group says it plans to move the manufacturing facilities for the carbs to a facility in an undisclosed location in North Carolina. Precision announced earlier this month that it was suspending manufacture and distribution of the carbs and parts after it was unable to obtain product liability insurance. There’s no mention of the insurance issue in the Henderson Group’s release.

[n2582d]

Here's where to send your thank you cards:
http://arthuralanwolk.com/_wsn/page2.html

[GAHorn]

I've come to the conclusion that Insurance companies share a large part of the blame in these cases.
While we might dislike those (lawyers) who spearhead devastating attacks against the mfr's we rely upon (Cessna, Precision, etc.), ... the refusal of insurance companies to accept losses on their balance sheets (which are more than balanced by their income in premiums... when was the last time you heard of an underwriter going bankrupt?) ... and the failure of insurance companies to stand by their insureds during prolonged litigation all the way thru to the final appeals... is what caused Precision to make the decision they made.
That decision resulted in the loss of 38 jobs and the devastation THAT causes to families and local communities (as Precision shut down operations) is an important part of the overall effect of these kinds of cases. If the Insurance company had stood by Precision until the final appeal is finished... the probability is that the awards will be drastically reduced and the company could have continued in business, and those employees and their families would have been better served. The proof in this opinion is that Tempest (Aero Accessories), a larger company with better insurance connections, had no problem acquiring and sees much profit in acquiring the carburetor line from Precision.

According to Aviation Maintenance Technology, "...the cause of this disruption is neither the float carburetor, the 1999 Cessna crash, nor the $38.5 million charged against Precision Airmotive. Rather, it is the insurance industry’s unwillingness to stand by a long-term client before the final verdict has been rendered." (Jan 2008) http://www.amtonline.com/publication/ar ... &pageNum=1

[1SeventyZ]

I think the fact that you can get nearly $40 million in a judgment against a small manufacturer is the problem.

[GAHorn]

It depends, Zane. How much do you consider YOUR life worth? (I'll bet you hope a jury would agree.)

The cases usually revolve around lost potential income. Kinda sad.

Corporations do not have a soul. They only have a sense for money/bottom lines. If a company knows their product has a failure mode, but decide it's not worth the money to fix it, and continues to produce the defective part and it kills YOUR kid.... what's that worth? Would it be worth more than if she were merely robbed and raped? Or less?

It's all about perspective, and what kind of punitive actions it takes to get companies to stop doing what a person with a soul and sense of honor might do instead of what a corporation might do.
I'll bet that Precision would have fixed that little problem if they'd realized it was gonna cost them their money and their business. Tempest doesn't seem deterred by the action to prevent them from picking up the product line. (But I'll bet they fix the problem before they put it back on the market.)

[flyguy]

In case folks hadn't heard about it already... Another victim of litigation and liability.

Maybe not such a "victim" after all!

I, along with some others, may have "jumped the gun" so to speak, blaming lawyers and insurance companies for the demise and rapid exit from the business of manufacturing and distributing PMA parts for aircraft by Precision Airmotive.

How many of you have received the "Emergency AD" #2008-06-51 from the FAA concerning "another product" from Precision Airmotive?
It appears that this company's dedication to excellence deteriorated to sub-standard engineering and manufacturing procedures in more products than the old Marvel - Schrebler carburetor repair kits.

This may only affect our members with 170s with engine conversions that are "fuel injected" or others owning aircraft with these faulty parts installed. If you haven't received this notice, go to
http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guida ... &Count=100#

To quote the problem:

"Unsafe Condition

(d) This AD results from eighteen reports of fuel injection servo plugs, P/N 383493, that had loosened or completely backed out of the threaded plug hole on the regulator cover of the fuel injection servo. We are issuing this AD to prevent a lean running engine, which could result in a substantial loss of engine power and subsequent loss of control of the airplane."

(Emphasis added. This AD 2008-08-14, superceding/amending AD 2008-06-51, does not apply to our Continental engines. It applies to Lycoming engines, but is an example of deteriorated quality control at Precision.)