430 found switched

Russell Bass

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this. I recently bought a '78 Lance with a Garmin 530 and 430, both showed in the logs upgraded to waas. The short of it is in trying to update the nav cards, I discovered the 430 is not waas, and have since discovered it's not even the same unit as the one upgraded in the logs (different serial number). I went back to the company who sold the plane to me, and they seem to be headed for the position it must have been stolen (swapped out) at some point and there is no way to find out who or when. It wasn't just pulled out and another plugged in, the antennae for the 430 was also changed to a non waas antennae. So some work was done. This brings up all kinds of issues.... misrepresentation of the aircraft, a major alteration done with no record of it in the logs, no form 337, my panel doesn't match the serial number in the logs, etc... Am I just screwed on this? I don't think it's enough money to hire an attorney. Is there anyway to force their hand? Also, how to deal with the discrepancy in the logs now. Of course, everything works fine... it's not the end of the world to not have waas on the # 2 Garmin. Maybe I'm old school, but I feel something should be done here.

marksires

That sound like a classic case of fraud somewhere. I'd discuss it with a lawyer at the least - the paperwork problems may cost a lot more than the 430! Undocumented alterations are not fun. Too bad it wasn't caught in the prebuy, but that would be a tough one to detect. Makes me glad the panel in the airplane I bought was so old no one would have wanted the stuff that was in it. Probably would have saved me money if someone had taken the ADF & Loran out!
Mark

Russell Bass

I'm wondering if I can't just make a logbook entry in the avionics log that after I took ownership it was discovered the unit was stolen/swapped at some point prior to my owning it, note the new serial number, that it is non waas, have an avionics shop sign off that it is installed correctly and functioning properly, and move on. As much as I'd like to seek justice, I don't think there is enough money in this thing to hire an attorney.

Bob H

Hi Russell,
I think you can safely eliminate avionics theft here. While It is not uncommon to see thieves stealing a radio and replacing it with a lesser one, it would be a first for them to take the time and the risk of "replacing" the GPS antenna. They do this because the customer doesn't know they have been ripped off and the theft (and the serial number) is never reported or reported long after the theft occurs. Something else is at play here? Looks like you bought the aircraft through a broker ( not from the actual owner) or the aircraft was owned by a company. Either way, the broker or company that sold the aircraft to you has a reputation to "uphold". I would try to get to the "real" owner of the aircraft at the time of sale or the avionics shop that installed the 430 originally and see what they might know about the aircraft and then perhaps, go back to the company that sold you the aircraft. Forget lawyers. If you can figure out what happened, you may be able to put pressure on the seller to "help" make things right. Your loss is about $4000. That's the cost to upgrade the 430 to WAAS plus antenna installation. Personally, I wouldn't let it go! Remember, the pen is mightier than the sword! Another important "point" here! next to the engine, the avionics represents the largest share of the value of the aircraft. We pay someone to do a pre-buy of the airframe and the engine. We "assume" that the avionics are okay and "legal"? A pre-buy of the avionics also makes a whole lot of sense on any "significant" aircraft purchase. Bob Hart www.AvionixHelp.com

Leonard

Russell,
Start using the pen and post the sellers' name or broker and inform them of this. If their names start popping up from unsatisfied customer feeds it just may prompt them into helping you.
Keep us posted on how it turns out.
LJG

Russell Bass

Thanks Bob and Leonard for the replies... I narrowed it down to who had to have done it by the date the last update expired on the unit. It actually goes back 3 owners. But the bottom line, it would be impossible to prove anything, and I think everyone knows it. The broker (Lone Mountain Aircraft Sales) regrets it, but says there is nothing they can do, and the previous owner claims he didn't know so he's washing his hands. He's probably telling the truth because he hardly laid eyes on the plane for the 5 or 6 months he owned it. Plus, Bob is correct, I ultimately am the one who should have verified it before I bought it. I assumed because the logs said it, it was true....inexperience. It would have been easy to check. At this point I'm pretty much swallowing the lesson and my pride. Hopefully posting this will keep someone else from making the same mistake, and if it does, that would bring some good out of it. I'm still blessed to have a very nice airplane with a great panel!

Bob H

Hi Russ,
Sorry about the outcome. Maybe it's time for an "article" on the importance of "the avionics" in an aircraft purchase? Can I use your story as a basis?
Thanks! Bob Hart www.AvionixHelp.com

Russell Bass

Sure... if it helps someone else that would be great.

Bob H

Thanks Russ,
I'll let you know before I do anything. Bob Hart www.AvionixHelp.com