Out of Interest, what has happened to the aircraft? Are all the issues sorted and it's now flying?
I guess there are always two sides to every story. I was sent an email from IAS, I copy below part of the content.
The fact is that Axxxxxx, having decided to sell his airplane, decided he did not have to pay for his Trust in spite of 3 invoices. After nearly 6 months in arrears, I simply informed the FAA in writing that our company was no longer responsible for Axxxxx's aircraft as Trustee. The FAA than de-registered the aircraft just as they do when you do not pay the FAA their $5.00.
Southern has de-registered airplanes in the past and informed the FAA that it is to be exported to the U.K. and other countries. I did not do that. If I had, the FAA would have wired the CAA that the aircraft was de-registered for registration with the CAA. It would have created a technical invalidation of the airworthiness certificate. And if I had, Axxxxx would have had to involve the CAA because the FAA would have required the CAA to inform the FAA that the aircraft was not registered by the CAA. Axxxxx just guessed that is what I must have done.
After the FAA de-registered the aircraft, Axxxx wrote a bill of sale FAA form 8050-2. I knew the FAA would not accept that because their was no bill of sale form from IAS to Axxxxx.
Axxxxx said that if I insisted that he pay his past due amount on his Trust, that he would pass bad information about my services to my clients. It was after that threat when I resigned from being his Trustee and informed the FAA that I was no longer responsible.
Axxxxxx could pay a FAA title company and get a copy of the letter I wrote in which I stated that I resigned and the aircraft no longer met the citizenship requirements.
After Axxxxx paid, I issued a bill of statement to him as he already issued one to an American corporation to complete the required FAA chain of title.
I talked to my lawyer, my lawyer said to give him a bill for his advice but I did not.
I informed Axxxxxxxxx in writing in advance of doing so that failure to pay his Trust invoice would result in my resigning and in his aircraft being de-registered. He wrote me that I could go ahead and de-register his aircraft as he was not going to pay his invoice even when I put in writing that he need pay no late fees or anything else, just his 245 GBP. He refused in writing to pay.