Florida Man Charged With Grand Theft and Burglary Over Records Taken From Piaggio Avanti in Clearwater Hangar

Kevin Vance McKamey, 61, of Largo, Florida, turned himself in on Nov. 3 on felony charges. Investigators accuse him of entering a Bayside Aviation hangar in Clearwater and taking aircraft records and a key. According to arrest affidavits, the alleged incident occurred Oct. 23.

The aircraft involved is a 2005 Piaggio Avanti valued at approximately $1.7 million. It had been placed in Bayside Aviation's care five days before the alleged incident. McKamey was involved in a civil disagreement with Tour Aviation over repair work on the aircraft, and investigators said he no longer had permission to access the airplane or the hangar.

Authorities estimate the cost of replacing the logbooks at about $30,000, while the absence of records associated with the disputed repairs could affect the aircraft's value by an estimated $107,000. Investigators allege McKamey returned the aircraft key and most of the logbooks after they questioned Bayside Aviation employees. Some records concerning the repair work and related billing remained unaccounted for, according to the affidavits.

McKamey faces charges of grand theft, burglary of an occupied structure and burglary of an unoccupied conveyance.

The figures attached to this case show how much of an aircraft's worth sits in paper. Replacing logbooks is put at about $30,000, but missing repair records are estimated to cost the airplane $107,000 in value, more than three times as much. In the used-turboprop and used-jet markets, a buyer or lender who cannot see the work history discounts the aircraft, which is why records are the leverage point when a shop and an owner or operator fall out over a repair bill.

Disputes over unpaid or contested maintenance are a normal feature of aircraft ownership, and they usually stay in civil court. What separates this one is that the affidavits describe access to a hangar after permission had ended and the removal of records, which is the point at which a commercial disagreement becomes a matter for prosecutors. Facilities holding aircraft under a work order are exposed in a related way: custody of the airframe does not automatically mean control of the paperwork, and who may enter and who holds the logs are questions that tend to be settled only after something goes missing.

The records still unaccounted for, covering the repair work and related billing, are the piece that determines whether the valuation impact stands. How the criminal charges proceed alongside the underlying civil dispute with Tour Aviation will show which of the two forums ends up deciding who owed what.