WrightAvia
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2002
- Posts
- 1,223
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/7483822.ht
Posted on Sat, Dec. 13, 2003
Maintenance errors linked to more airplane crashes
By Ames Alexander, Ted Reed and Ted Mellnik
The Charlotte Observer
Airlines are spending less to maintain their planes. Mechanics are checking them less often. And federal oversight is stretched thin as regulators struggle to keep up with the growing use of outsourced service work and repairs.
At stake is the safety of one of the world's most reliable aviation systems.
Faulty maintenance contributed to three of the past five fatal airline accidents, including the January crash of Flight 5481 in Charlotte, N.C., that killed all 21 aboard. It likely played a role in a fourth crash now under investigation, sources said.
John Goglia, a member of the five-person National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates crashes, said cost-cutting has hurt maintenance. He said the industry needs to focus on improving it or expect more disasters.
"To fix a problem, you've got to admit you have a problem and identify it," Goglia said. "We haven't gotten to admitting the problem yet. Unless we start dealing with these issues sooner rather than later, we're going to pay the price, and that could mean more deaths."
Airlines have invested millions to fix other serious problems. Better technology, design and training have dramatically reduced crashes caused by pilot error and weather.
Faulty maintenance, an equally preventable problem, has never gotten the attention it deserves, experts say. Now -- as other causes have declined -- when there is a crash, it's more likely to be related to maintenance.
The Charlotte Observer interviewed dozens of mechanics, aviation safety experts and airline officials; examined thousands of pages of public documents; and analyzed seven federal databases.
The investigation found that since 1994, maintenance problems have contributed to 42 percent of fatal airline accidents in the United States, excluding the 9-11 terrorist attacks. That's up from 16 percent the previous decade.
During the past decade, 466 people died in eight U.S. accidents linked to maintenance problems. The decade before, seven maintenance-related crashes killed 160 people.
In the Jan. 8 US Airways Express crash in Charlotte, investigators believe that an incorrectly adjusted cable was largely to blame. The NTSB also noted that the plane was slightly overweight.
Air Midwest operated the plane and outsourced the maintenance. The cable work was done by a mechanic working a 14-hour shift and attempting that type of repair for the first time on a Beech 1900D.
Among the other accidents in which maintenance likely played a role are the midair explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996 and the fatal plunge into the Pacific of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in 2000.
The NTSB didn't classify the TWA 800 explosion, which killed 230, as a maintenance crash, but many experts say the center wing fuel tank exploded because of maintenance problems.
In addition to the crashes, airlines reported problems in the first six months of 2003 that threatened safety and led to 180 unscheduled or emergency landings, according to reports airlines file with the Federal Aviation Administration. About 80 percent of the landings had causes often related to maintenance shortcomings -- landing gear problems and engine failures.
Regulators increasingly cite airlines for maintenance problems. Since 1990, fines and other FAA maintenance-related enforcement actions against airlines and repair stations increased 57 percent, far exceeding the rate at which the number of flights grew. Maintenance has been the largest single source of enforcement actions in commercial aviation during the past decade.
But airline officials say they have not compromised the quality of maintenance on their planes through cost-cutting and outsourcing.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines said it outsources about 20 percent of its maintenance work, a lower percentage than most airlines. It has recently brought some work back in-house. The airline prefers to do its own maintenance when costs are competitive, spokesman John Hotard said.
"I think the biggest advantage is fairly simple," he said. "Doing your maintenance in-house gives you much more control over the product, from quality control to meeting production goals."
Overall, crash rates have dropped sharply since the 1960s. During the past decade, the odds of a U.S. commercial flight ending in a fatal crash were roughly 1 in 3.7 million. In the 1960s, the chances of a crash were about six times higher.
Since 1994, there have been 19 fatal accidents, compared with 45 the previous decade.
"We learn from each event, and certainly we'll continue to make improvements," said FAA Flight Standards Director Jim Ballough. "But we're part of a pretty safe system."
Ballough acknowledged that the agency needs to do more to prevent maintenance errors.
"The last four or five mishaps have had significant issues in the human factors area," he said, speaking about maintenance problems. "We've got to focus in that area. We're going to do that. There has been some progress made, but we need to make more progress."
Given the inconsistency of FAA oversight, many experts say, aviation safety depends largely on the airlines' regulatory compliance. Many do a stellar job. But airlines' and contractors' safeguards can fail.
Most airlines are spending less on maintenance. For the top nine major airlines, maintenance spending per flight dropped 1 percent.
At US Airways, the spending rate rose. The airline reduced its total maintenance spending from 2000 to 2002, but the number of flights dropped more.
Major airlines employ safety officials who have executive status, enabling them to push for high standards. Most of the FAA's maintenance-related enforcements, including fines and reprimands, are directed against midsize and regional airlines. From 2000 to 2002, nonmajor airlines accounted for about 37 percent of flights but 67 percent of FAA maintenance actions against airlines.
Regional airlines have improved safety standards in recent years, largely in response to tougher federal regulations. But many aviation experts say the quality of maintenance at the major airlines remains superior.
The NTSB's Goglia and others say they're worried that the regional airline industry's rapid growth will hurt maintenance.
"We often see when expansion happens too fast, the infrastructure can't keep up with it," he said. "I've been concerned."
Posted on Sat, Dec. 13, 2003
Maintenance errors linked to more airplane crashes
By Ames Alexander, Ted Reed and Ted Mellnik
The Charlotte Observer
Airlines are spending less to maintain their planes. Mechanics are checking them less often. And federal oversight is stretched thin as regulators struggle to keep up with the growing use of outsourced service work and repairs.
At stake is the safety of one of the world's most reliable aviation systems.
Faulty maintenance contributed to three of the past five fatal airline accidents, including the January crash of Flight 5481 in Charlotte, N.C., that killed all 21 aboard. It likely played a role in a fourth crash now under investigation, sources said.
John Goglia, a member of the five-person National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates crashes, said cost-cutting has hurt maintenance. He said the industry needs to focus on improving it or expect more disasters.
"To fix a problem, you've got to admit you have a problem and identify it," Goglia said. "We haven't gotten to admitting the problem yet. Unless we start dealing with these issues sooner rather than later, we're going to pay the price, and that could mean more deaths."
Airlines have invested millions to fix other serious problems. Better technology, design and training have dramatically reduced crashes caused by pilot error and weather.
Faulty maintenance, an equally preventable problem, has never gotten the attention it deserves, experts say. Now -- as other causes have declined -- when there is a crash, it's more likely to be related to maintenance.
The Charlotte Observer interviewed dozens of mechanics, aviation safety experts and airline officials; examined thousands of pages of public documents; and analyzed seven federal databases.
The investigation found that since 1994, maintenance problems have contributed to 42 percent of fatal airline accidents in the United States, excluding the 9-11 terrorist attacks. That's up from 16 percent the previous decade.
During the past decade, 466 people died in eight U.S. accidents linked to maintenance problems. The decade before, seven maintenance-related crashes killed 160 people.
In the Jan. 8 US Airways Express crash in Charlotte, investigators believe that an incorrectly adjusted cable was largely to blame. The NTSB also noted that the plane was slightly overweight.
Air Midwest operated the plane and outsourced the maintenance. The cable work was done by a mechanic working a 14-hour shift and attempting that type of repair for the first time on a Beech 1900D.
Among the other accidents in which maintenance likely played a role are the midair explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996 and the fatal plunge into the Pacific of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in 2000.
The NTSB didn't classify the TWA 800 explosion, which killed 230, as a maintenance crash, but many experts say the center wing fuel tank exploded because of maintenance problems.
In addition to the crashes, airlines reported problems in the first six months of 2003 that threatened safety and led to 180 unscheduled or emergency landings, according to reports airlines file with the Federal Aviation Administration. About 80 percent of the landings had causes often related to maintenance shortcomings -- landing gear problems and engine failures.
Regulators increasingly cite airlines for maintenance problems. Since 1990, fines and other FAA maintenance-related enforcement actions against airlines and repair stations increased 57 percent, far exceeding the rate at which the number of flights grew. Maintenance has been the largest single source of enforcement actions in commercial aviation during the past decade.
But airline officials say they have not compromised the quality of maintenance on their planes through cost-cutting and outsourcing.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines said it outsources about 20 percent of its maintenance work, a lower percentage than most airlines. It has recently brought some work back in-house. The airline prefers to do its own maintenance when costs are competitive, spokesman John Hotard said.
"I think the biggest advantage is fairly simple," he said. "Doing your maintenance in-house gives you much more control over the product, from quality control to meeting production goals."
Overall, crash rates have dropped sharply since the 1960s. During the past decade, the odds of a U.S. commercial flight ending in a fatal crash were roughly 1 in 3.7 million. In the 1960s, the chances of a crash were about six times higher.
Since 1994, there have been 19 fatal accidents, compared with 45 the previous decade.
"We learn from each event, and certainly we'll continue to make improvements," said FAA Flight Standards Director Jim Ballough. "But we're part of a pretty safe system."
Ballough acknowledged that the agency needs to do more to prevent maintenance errors.
"The last four or five mishaps have had significant issues in the human factors area," he said, speaking about maintenance problems. "We've got to focus in that area. We're going to do that. There has been some progress made, but we need to make more progress."
Given the inconsistency of FAA oversight, many experts say, aviation safety depends largely on the airlines' regulatory compliance. Many do a stellar job. But airlines' and contractors' safeguards can fail.
Most airlines are spending less on maintenance. For the top nine major airlines, maintenance spending per flight dropped 1 percent.
At US Airways, the spending rate rose. The airline reduced its total maintenance spending from 2000 to 2002, but the number of flights dropped more.
Major airlines employ safety officials who have executive status, enabling them to push for high standards. Most of the FAA's maintenance-related enforcements, including fines and reprimands, are directed against midsize and regional airlines. From 2000 to 2002, nonmajor airlines accounted for about 37 percent of flights but 67 percent of FAA maintenance actions against airlines.
Regional airlines have improved safety standards in recent years, largely in response to tougher federal regulations. But many aviation experts say the quality of maintenance at the major airlines remains superior.
The NTSB's Goglia and others say they're worried that the regional airline industry's rapid growth will hurt maintenance.
"We often see when expansion happens too fast, the infrastructure can't keep up with it," he said. "I've been concerned."
