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MEDFORD, Ore. - A three-letter word may cost one of the nation's oldest air ambulance operators a $30,000 fine.
The word is "our" - a possessive personal pronoun meaning it belongs to us.
But the U.S. Department of Transportation says that was the wrong word for Mercy Flights of Oregon to use to describe a helicopter technically owned by another company.
The Mail Tribune reports that the helicopter was purchased for Mercy Flights' exclusive use, but a separate company was formed for the deal, and it has ownership on paper.
The DOT says Mercy Flights broke laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive practices in the sales of air transportation by saying it is "our helicopter."
The nonprofit was fined $30,000 but it will only have to pay half if it avoids other pronoun violations for a year.
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