- Admin
- #1
For airline passengers stuck because of hundreds of flights canceled over immediate safety inspections, it may seem like a problem that came straight out of the blue. It most certainly is not. The recent airline mini-crisis is linked to a potential safety problem we highlighted a year ago, in a March 2007 investigation. That report detailed how the Federal Aviation Administration has changed the way it oversees aircraft maintenance and inspections, leaving it more to air carriers themselves than to FAA inspectors on the ground. Recent moves to re-inspect hundreds of planes at Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta have caused hundreds of flights to be canceled in recent days as the planes go through re-inspection for things such as fatigue cracks and wiring. And the moves have put the issue of airline safety front and center once more. On March 6, the FAA announced a record $10.2 million penalty against Southwest for "operating 46 airplanes without performing mandatory inspections for fuselage fatigue cracking." Subsequent investigations found that six of the 46 airplanes had fatigue cracks, a potentially catastrophic circumstance. Less than a week later, the FAA announced a review of Southwest's maintenance practices, even as the carrier was grounding 41 aircraft to verify they had "correctly followed inspection guidance." The Dallas-based airline issued a statement noting it had "discovered an ambiguity related to required testing." American Airlines and Delta this past week together inspected more than 400 airplanes and canceled over 700 flights. In the wake of media attention, it became clear the issue of maintenance oversight was as much about the FAA itself as any one airline. On March 18, acting Federal Aviation Administrator Robert Sturgell ordered aviation inspectors to "reconfirm" that airlines operating within the U.S. have complied with all airworthiness directives.