Flight School Owner Who Allegedly Stiffed Students Facing Jail

A debt to the IRS by a defunct Virginia flight school means former students have little chance of getting any money back.

Russ Niles

Monday, August 26, 2024 at 02:40 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

Cessna aircraft [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

Kevin Rychlik, owner of the defunct American Aviation flight school, pleaded guilty to tax evasion, avoiding more serious federal charges.
The school's bankruptcy left dozens of students and hundreds of other creditors with little to no chance of recovering hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits.
Rychlik faces prison time, and the IRS, owed $3.4 million in back taxes, will be prioritized, making reimbursement for other creditors highly improbable.

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The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is reporting that the owner of a flight school that went bankrupt while allegedly holding hundreds of thousands of dollars in student deposits has struck a plea deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to tax evasion.

Kevin Rychlik is facing a prison term but by pleading guilty he avoided indictment on a laundry list of serious federal charges relating to his operation of American Aviation at Manassas Regional Airport (KMNZ) in Virginia and several other businesses.