06/11/10
During a meeting on June 8, the Plymouth Board of Aviation ratified a response drafted by Plymouth City Attorney Nelson Chipman to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The board had received a letter from Gregory Sweeny of the FAA on March 25, 2010 concerning allegations against the Plymouth Board of Aviation raised by Stephen Engel. Engel is represented by attorney Peter Yarbro.
Chipman provided the board with a 12-page letter outlining responses to the allegations. The document forwarded to the FAA also contained some 100 pages of supporting documentation, according to Steve Hupka of the board.
Although the allegations are on a number of items, the dispute between Engel and the former Aviation Board has been going on for several years.
At one time, Engel leased hanger space at the Plymouth Airport. Allegedly his June, 2004 rental payment was not received until July 6, 2004 and he was assessed two $25 bookkeeping fees. Engel’s refusal to pay the fees prompted the previous board to discuss the refusal at an October 19, 2004 meeting.
At a December, 2005 meeting, the board voted to require Engle to pay the outstanding fees by December or his two leases would be terminated effective February, 2006.
The matter was later filed in court. According to Chipman’s response, the court orders of March 7, 2006, and August 21, 2009 along with a ruling by the Indiana Court of Appeals on March 3, 2010 that Engel is to remove his airplane from the Plymouth Municipal Airport.
Engel’s aircraft is still at the local airport, but is tied down outside rather than stored in a hanger.
