FAA closes probe in Malverne complaint

The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its investigation of a report of an oily black substance leaking from a plane onto a Malverne backyard due to lack of evidence, the FAA said Tuesday.

An FAA investigator on Monday went to the Nassau Boulevard home where the homeowners reported the substance had fallen Thursday. A homeowner showed an investigator a sweatshirt that reportedly had been stained and stated that a coat had also been stained and was taken to a dry cleaners, according to FAA spokeswoman Arlene Salac.

Investigators found no evidence of the substance either in the yard or on the patio more than three days later.

The FAA was able to determine which aircraft passed over the residence that night. FAA inspectors reviewed the aircraft's maintenance records but there was no evidence that the aircraft had leaked fluids or had recent maintenance work done that would have caused a fluid leak, Salac said.