Liberty Denies It’s Under Certification Review
Liberty Aerospace is demanding the FAA retract a statement made earlier this week that the company is undergoing a special certification review (SCR) on its XL-2 two-seat aircraft. In a news release about an SCR being conducted at Eclipse Aviation, the FAA mentioned other companies that have been similarly probed and Liberty was listed. But Liberty General Counsel and Safety and Compliance Officer Margaret Napolitan told AVweb the FAA made a mistake in that statement. “We are asking that the FAA retract that statement,” she said. “We are not undergoing an SCR.” The FAA says it didn’t intend to suggest that Liberty was under a special certification review, only that it was under a special review. The agency has not so far said what kind of review Liberty is under.
Liberty Aerospace is demanding the FAA retract a statement made earlier this week that the company is undergoing a special certification review (SCR) on its XL-2 two-seat aircraft. In a news release about an SCR being conducted at Eclipse Aviation, the FAA mentioned other companies that have been similarly probed and Liberty was listed. But Liberty General Counsel and Safety and Compliance Officer Margaret Napolitan told AVweb the FAA made a mistake in that statement. "We are asking that the FAA retract that statement," she said. "We are not undergoing an SCR." The FAA says it didn't intend to suggest that Liberty was under a special certification review, only that it was under a special review. The agency has not so far said what kind of review Liberty is under.
Napolitan said the FAA is undertaking a fact-finding mission but it has nothing to do with certification. "It's a commercial dispute," she said. "It has nothing to do with the safety of the aircraft." Napolitan said she's contacted the FAA to ask for the retraction and will be posting a statement on the company Web site later.