Airline Safety Concerns Take Off

FAA Says 4 Carriers Are Under Investigation While United Grounds 777s; Capitol Hill Hearings To Probe Agency's Oversight

(CBS/AP)  Hours after another airline grounded dozens of its jets for safety inspections, the FAA announced that 4 U.S. airlines are under investigation for failing to comply with federal regulations.

Federal Aviation Administration officials say an audit of airline maintenance found three airlines had missed inspection deadlines. At a briefing at Washington's Reagan National Airport, the officials said that wiring in the wheel well was one area where carriers failed to comply with "air worthiness directives."

The agency would not name the carriers under investigation. FAA officials said penalties could be levied, though it would be several months before the probe was complete.

Earlier on Wednesday, United Airlines temporarily grounded 11 percent of its fleet while it tested dozens of Boeing 777s to make sure components of a cargo fire suppression system were operating effectively, the carrier said.

Industry experts warned that passengers can expect more headaches as the FAA and airlines work to guarantee safety amid the rise in air travel - though federal officials are quick to note that this has been one of the safest periods in aviation history.

"The bottom line is ... flying is safer today than at anytime in the past," acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said at a briefing Wednesday. "It's no accident or miracle."

The last U.S. crash of a jumbo jet was Nov. 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 lost part of its tail and plummeted into a New York City neighborhood, killing 265 people.

Independent airline consultant Robert Mann said that while the issue with the 777s should have been detected beforehand, passengers shouldn't be worried about the increased maintenance glitches.

"It's clearly inconvenient for passengers but it's a matter of the system working as designed," he said. "Carriers are now being prompted to check their own records and check the facts versus the records, and the FAA is doing the same thing from its end."

Hewlett Packard Co. employee Brock Tharp of Albertville, Minn., who was flying Northwest Airlines to Los Angeles for training on Wednesday, said he had heard some reports about safety concerns in the airline industry, but he wasn't worried.

"I know the airlines are heavily regulated, and with the press putting it out there I'm sure they are working double-time on any inspections," he said. "I hope so, anyway."

Others take a dimmer view. Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Tuesday that the string of maintenance problems springs from a "culture of coziness between the airlines and senior FAA management."

The Minnesota Democrat will lead a hearing Thursday at which the committee will report the findings of its investigation into the agency's safety oversight.

Among those scheduled to testify are a whistle-blower who first detailed problems at Southwest, which faces a record $10.2 million fine for continuing to fly dozens of Boeing 737s that hadn't been inspected for cracks in their fuselages, as well as safety inspectors for other airlines and the Transportation Department's inspector general.

Southwest is not the only carrier that has benefited from a "cozy" relationship with regulators, said Tom Brantley, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union that represents FAA inspectors.

In testimony prepared for the hearing, Brantley details maintenance and safety issues at United, Continental Airlines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp., Hawaiian Airlines Inc. and elsewhere where the carriers were given great leeway by the FAA to correct problems that inspectors on the ground said merited more serious attention. Financial penalties for infractions suggested by inspectors against United and other carriers also were ignored or significantly reduced by the time they were assessed, he added.

[dopelgangera]

This is probably a good time to temporarily take some airplanes out of use to check out their safety. Easter is past, the Memorial Day weekend is still nearly two months away, the summer vacation season hasn''t started yet, and with the poor economy (resulting in fewer business trips, and less money in people''s pockets for personal travel until they get their "economic stimulus" checks), and with the fuel costs of every plane flight being so high for every flight, who could think of any better time to take some planes out of use, in order to give them safety checks?

[dennishart4]

Die the friendly skies, here is 120 reasons to not fly www.theoandavirus.com

[parrot123-2009]

"The bottom line is ... flying is safer today than at anytime in the past," acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said at a briefing Wednesday. "It''s no accident or miracle."


No, ONly that the Dems took over control of Congress - just a year ago - anyone noticing all the changes taking place, stuff that''s been the norm for over 7years. Cheers!

[alphaa10-2009]

CBS reports, ""The bottom line is ... flying is safer today than at anytime in the past," acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said at a briefing Wednesday. "It''s no accident or miracle."
---
Sturgell probably has the poster in his office titled, "Safety is no accident." Clearly, it sounds good to Sturgell to appear proactive.

But the real import of this news is the FAA is finally coming to grips with effectiue regulation as the very basis of the airline market.

Back when "deregulation" began for the airlines, the focus was on price competition, but did not abolish the safety inspection regimes in place. These safety measures have become only more complex and are a major overhead for the airlines.

Boeing sells its airliners on the promise of cost effectiveness-- but its airliner designs are complex enough, their maintenance offsets the anticipated savings. Result? The airlines cut corners, or even violate the law.

One commuter pilot announced he would retire at a relatively young age, and after a good safety record. Asked why he would give up his promising career, he confessed the commuter airline industry was so marginally profitable after deregulation, he worried about safety. His company, he speculated, might take risks with parts quality that could contribute to an accident.

[cbsblogger]

There is no more oversight in our country. Bush has taken it all away and given it to the Good Job Brownies who are mindless incompetent cronies of politics and corporatism.

To compound it all, Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table because she was pressured by political elites such as AIPAC not to open up any investigations that might lead to embarassing repercussions.

[donbl1]

Alexma, please explain the billions "given" to the airlines by the federal government......

[alexma50085]

Our government gives these airlines billions of dollars to stop them from going bankrupt and they can''t even keep their equipement up to safety standards. Bet all that money from our tax dollars lined the pockets of their executives.
We should have let them fail. New Airlines would have come into the picture, and taken up the slack.

[scottyusa]

It''s a wonder we don''t have more accidents. A total wonder.

[barbaraf4]

The only thing worse than airline safety is the current crisis of the air traffic control system.

[rushlimpdrug]

How about flying planes to foreign countries for cheaper labor. I guess human lives have a dollar value too!
Posted by fstop100 at 06:08 PM


I sense some discontent in your statement.
Sir, would you please step into the room over there.
Someone will come to pat you down.
Hang on to your I.D.
SEKURITEEE! !

[fstop100]

How about flying planes to foreign countries for cheaper labor. I guess human lives have a dollar value too!

[culturechang]

Federal govt will go to no ends to give corporate American a break. Bush probably pulled the inspectors off the job to help the FBI wire tap escort services and raiding massage joints. After hearing of the Iraq gang rape case being completely buried, you have to realized that, with this administration, rape, torture, and death are acceptable, but conensual adult prostitution...now that''s a serious crime.

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by jumkey at 05:40 PM


Oooooooooooohhhhhhhh

All this boring safety talk makes me hungry.
Peanut anyone?

Let''s all remember that when flying, the skies are friendly, it is the ground that is tough.

[jumkey]

That''s good rushlimpdrug, but you''ve got to get the shtick down. It goes like this: if we don''t inspect airplanes then that will save the airlines money which they will then plow back into maintenance - so lack of inspections make air travel safer!

Oh, and if a plane DOES crash and kills hundreds of people then potential passengers will be afraid to fly that airline and it will go out of business - yet another example of the superiority of the capitalist model!

See how it works?

[rushlimpdrug]

" . . . 4 U.S. airlines are under investigation for failing to comply with federal regulations."


Solution:
Get rid of federal regulations.
Let the airlines self-regulate.
Profits will soar and airlines
won''t have to deal with this annoyance.

Have a happy flight everyone!