Auditor: State not keeping tabs on planes

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A state oversight agency didn’t ensure all the aircraft in smaller airports were properly registered, costing the state thousands of dollars in registration fees and raising public safety questions, the state auditor’s office said today.

An audit looking at 27 of the state’s smaller airports found that they were home to 2,456 aircraft. But 689 of those aircraft were not accounted for in the database of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, an audit found.

The registration gap cost the state an estimated $113,685 in revenue, the auditor’s office said in a statement. It also increased the potential for illegal activities, such as terrorism, drug smuggling, or illegal immigration, said Glenn Briere, a spokeman for State Auditor Joe DeNucci.

“It’s fair to say we appreciate and respect the audit process and the opportunity to review procedures,” said Klark Jessen, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, which oversees the Aeronautics Commission.

Jessen said many of the unregistered aircraft weren’t required to be because they were not airworthy, from out of state, or planes that belonged to airlines. In many other cases, he said, the owners were in the process of renewing their registrations or hadn’t yet registered their planes because they were new to the area.

The aeronautics commission also told auditors it is creating a more effective system to enhance revenue collection. In addition, it is pursuing changes in the law to allow it to assess civil penalties when people don’t register their planes.

The commission oversees 37 public-use airports as well as 184 private-use landing areas and two seaplane bases. It does not have jurisdiction over Logan International Airport or Hanscom Field.

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