FAA Proposes $70,050 Civil Penalty Against the University of Wisconsin-Madison for Alleged Hazardous Materials Violations

CHICAGO -- The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $70,050 civil penalty against the University of Wisconsin-Madison for allegedly violating Hazardous Materials Regulations.

The FAA alleges that on January 13, 2015, an official traveling on behalf of the university offered an undeclared hazardous material shipment to Delta Air Lines for transport on a passenger flight from Madison to Minneapolis.

The shipment included 1.89 liters of ethyl alcohol, which is highly flammable, and 120 milliliters of Epofix hardener, which is a corrosive material. Delta personnel discovered the shipment and notified the FAA.

The FAA alleges the shipment, which was in the passenger's checked baggage, should have been offered to Delta as cargo containing hazardous materials. Declaring these items as hazardous materials would have required protective packaging and shipping papers, marks and labels to indicate the hazardous nature of the contents. Additionally, the FAA alleges the university failed to ensure its employees had received required hazardous materials training and did not include emergency response information with the shipment.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.