The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $168,000 civil penalty against Radiology Corporation of America of Delray Beach, Fla., for allegedly violating Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations.

The FAA alleges Radiology Corporation of America (RCOA) offered a fiberboard box to Delta Airlines in Atlanta as checked baggage, Feb. 6. The box housed a soldering iron containing liquid butane fuel, a flammable gas, which is a hazardous material. The shipment was not declared to contain hazardous materials.

RCOA, a provider of mobile PET/CT services in 12 states, allegedly offered the checked baggage for transportation by air when it was not packaged, marked, classed, described, labeled or in condition for shipment as required by regulations. Delta employees at the Atlanta airport discovered the shipment before it was loaded on an aircraft.

RCOA has 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s civil penalty letter to respond to the agency, according to a statement provided by the FAA on Nov. 19.

The company is appealing the fine, Chairman and CEO Allen D. McGee told Health Imaging News in an interview. “It was a one-time mistake. We are not in the business of transporting hazardous materials,” McGee stated. After the incident, RCOA provided hazardous material training to all company engineers to prevent future incidents.