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In a warning to American Airlines pilots, their union, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), says it’s seen “a significant spike in safety- and maintenance-related problems in our operation.”
The union claims that among the “problematic trends” it’s been tracking are tools left in wheel wells, an increasing number of collisions between aircraft while they’re being towed, an increasing number of items left in the safety area near jet bridges and “pressure to return aircraft to line service to maintain on-time performance due to a lack of spares.”
CBS News obtained pictures of a hammer the APA says was found in an Airbus A319 wheel well on March 25 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport before Flight 1654 departed for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. According to the APA, the flight’s first officer discovered it during his pre-flight walkaround and notified the captain. The captain called maintenance, who in turn inspected the aircraft and found a “Channellock style pliers and a screwdriver also located inside the wheel well.” The union says there were no open maintenance actions when the tool was found.
Below is an excerpt from the safety report released on Saturday by the Allied Pilots Association:
APA has been tracking a significant spike in safety- and maintenance-related problems in our operation. While United Airlines is currently under public and government scrutiny, it could just as easily be American Airlines. Among the problematic trends we’re seeing:
- Tools left in wheel wells.
- An increasing number of collisions between aircraft being tugged or towed.
- Improperly closed out maintenance actions with repeat writeups (sometimes 20 or more in a row).
- The removal of overnight maintenance checks unless the aircraft is written up or due scheduled maintenance.
- Pressure to return aircraft to line service to maintain on-time performance due to a lack of spares.
- Improperly issued Engineering Authorizations for damaged aircraft repositions.
- The absence of proper Special Flight Permits on international maintenance ferry flights.
- The abbreviation of Functional Check Flights when aircraft return to service after heavy maintenance or long-term storage.
- Increased intervals between routine aircraft inspections.
- An increasing number of items left in the safe area near jet bridges.
Remember: Don’t rush, don’t be intimidated, and don’t be pressured into doing something that doesn’t pass the “smell test.” Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it safe. Be mindful of the hazards while operating on the ramps and taxiways in congested airports staffed with inexperienced controllers and ground personnel.
In a press release on Monday, APA President Capt. Ed Sicher said, “In response to my request, we met with senior management earlier this month to discuss the operational hazards we have identified. Thanks to the diligent efforts of the APA Safety Committee and Maintenance and Technical Analysis Committee, we now have management’s full attention. We secured management’s commitment to involve the union earlier in the safety risk assessment (SRA) process, and we are likewise seeking a commitment that APA will have a seat at the table for the entire quality assurance process. APA is squarely focused on finding solutions – which will require collaboration between the union and management – and management’s initial response to our concerns was encouraging.”
“The walls are closing in on the safety margin… we’ve got a lot [of] old airplanes flying a lot longer in the system,” says @AlliedPilots’s @DennisTajer. “What pressures are going on right now are not something we like to see.” pic.twitter.com/ySIt4JOaWB
— Last Call (@LastCallCNBC) April 15, 2024
In a warning to American Airlines pilots, their union, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), says it’s seen “a significant spike in safety- and maintenance-related problems in our operation.”
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 17, 2024
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