Pardon me, but wouldn't that be considered fraud and possibly conspiracy to commit fraud? The plane clearly was not as represented. Buyer beware, but c'mon now!

As for buying airplanes with damage history, I've done it and I'm still flying it! I even spent a boat load of money putting a bigger engine on it! In my case though, the damage was old, the plane had a long service history since being repaired and several mechanics have inspected the repairs. I decided it was irrelevant and purchased the plane anyway and it's given me a dozen years of faithful service.

It's all in who you are dealing with I guess. Larry, when you found out there was more to the story than the seller was admitting to, I think you did the safe thing and walked away. If the seller lied about the extent of the damage, what else is he hiding?

If I were considering buying a plane that had been wrecked and rebuilt, several things would factor into my decision. How old is the damage? How many different IA's have seen the plane since its return to service? If it's only been annualed by the same guy who rebuilt it, I'd be leery. Even if that guy has been flying it for years, I'd still have an independent IA do a thorough pre-buy inspection. Who did the rebuild would also be a factor. Up in Greeley there's a shop, Beegles Aircraft. They have a reputation for doing good work and I've flown at least one plane rebuilt by them. If the plane had been rebuilt by them or someone else with a similar reputation, that would go a long ways to easing my mind.

Since you're in the UK and I assume the plane is here in the US, just "walking" away is probably the best choice. There's too much leg work to do and an ocean in between in this case.

David Rowland 7CO0
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