And that was all. It was enough. Thursday morning, Marcus was doing a pre-flight check on a charter Cessna at the Mon airport when his phone rang. Patricia, he answered immediately. Callaway held a press conference this morning.
She said her voice was controlled, but there was something underneath it. Something restrained. What did he say? He announced that the company is cooperating fully with the investigation and that the safety issues were the result of actions taken by individual employees without management knowledge. She paused.
He also characterized your press statement as the self-serving actions of a terminated employee with a financial motive and a personal grudge. Marcus was quiet. He called you out by name. She said. In that context, he stood on the tarmac next to the Cessna in the morning Georgia heat and breathed slowly.
He's trying to flip it, Marcus said. Make me the story instead of the maintenance logs. Yes, it's a calculated move. His attorneys know the coercion chain is real and they know it's going to come out. So, they're trying to establish a counternarrative now.
Before the NTSB releases full findings, she paused. Marcus, this changes the public dimension of the case. We need to discuss how we respond. We don't, he said. A brief pause.
What? We don't respond, he said. Not publicly. Not yet. He just stood up in front of cameras and said the individual employees acted without management knowledge, which means he just contradicted what Earl Hutchkins is going to testify under oath about who gave the order to sign those logs.
He paused. He just made our case stronger. A longer silence. You're right, Patricia said slowly, like she was working through it in real time. On record on camera, he denied management involvement.
When Hutchkins testifies to the contrary, that denial becomes evidence of obstruction. Marcus said at minimum, she said, Marcus, did you just I flew tactical aircraft for 12 years? He said, "You learn to see where someone's going before they get there." She exhaled. "Okay, we stay quiet. We let him run with it, and we let Hutchkins tell his story when the time comes." "Exactly," Marcus said.
"How long until the NTSB full report?" "Four to 6 weeks. They're moving fast because of the military passenger angle." She paused. The naval office called this morning. Incidentally, Colonel Marsh again. He wanted to know if you'd be willing to provide to the naval safety center regarding the broader maintenance pattern separate from the FAA proceeding.
Yes, Marcus said without hesitation. Another pause. Marcus, how are you holding up? He looked out at the tarmac at the blue Georgia sky above it at the Cessna waiting patiently for its pre-flight. I'm good, he said.