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WASHINGTON (AP) -- American Airlines failed to catch repeated errors by mechanics before a September 2007 flight that made an emergency landing after one of its engines caught fire during departure.
The 143 people onboard weren't injured, but the incident could have become catastrophic because of additional mistakes by the flight crew, members of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
The four-member board recommended changes in pilot training programs to take into account simultaneous emergencies.
The findings come as American faces heightened scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The agency recently assigned a special team of 17 inspectors to examine American's aircraft maintenance and other operations. The special audit is expected to take about three months.
The NTSB's hearing on Tuesday was held to examine the Sept. 28, 2007 incident in which American Flight 1400's left engine caught fire during a departure climb from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The MD-82, a mid-sized airliner, returned to the airport, but fire had damaged the aircraft's hydraulic system so that the plane's rudder wasn't functioning and the nose landing gear failed to extend during an initial landing attempt. A second attempt was successful.
While there were no injuries, the plane sustained substantial damage.
American spokesman Tim Wagner said the airline is changing training procedures for mechanics and pilots as a result of the incident, and hiring more auditors to review maintenance work.
NTSB's issues "were with our personnel not following our procedures rather than any problem with our procedures," he said.
Investigators said the engine had had repeated trouble starting beginning 10 days before the incident. Maintenance crews replaced a starter valve six times during that period. On the day of the incident, the engine again failed to start when the plane was at the gate and had to be started manually a second time before Flight 1400 took off.
It turned out mechanics had failed to properly maintain a metal air filter, which disintegrated, investigators said. The destruction of the filter led to a series of other mechanical problems, including a bent pin, which helped caused the engine fire.
During the fire, the flight crew made several mistakes that acerbated the problem and could have led to a more serious accident, investigators said.
The pilot interrupted his emergency checklist to inform passengers of the trouble, which delayed his shut-off of fuel to the fire and allowed the fire to burn longer, investigators said. That led to the damage to the hydraulic system, they said.
"We probably wouldn't be here talking if he had done that checklist in a timely manner," investigator Dave Tew said.
The co-pilot was engaged in trying to wrestle the cockpit door closed after the fire partially shutdown the aircraft's electrical system, which released the automatic door lock, they said.
"It seems to me it was a series of people taking shortcuts that accumulated on this particular day into what could have been much more catastrophic," said safety board member Kitty Higgins.
Last August, the FAA asked American to pay a $7.1 million civil penalty -- one of the largest ever assessed against an airline -- for continuing to fly two jets after an FAA inspector and American's own mechanics found problems with their autopilot systems.
American, a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., operates the world's largest fleet of MD-80 series planes, with 275 of them. When oil prices spiked last year, American stepped up plans to replace them with more fuel-efficient jets, but that will take years.
As they age, the MD-80s are facing more maintenance issues. Last July, the FAA ordered airlines to inspect certain MD-80 models -- including most of American's -- for cracks on overwing frames. Last April, American grounded its entire MD-80 fleet to repack the electrical wiring, causing the cancellation of more than 3,000 flights.
Associated Press Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.
The 143 people onboard weren't injured, but the incident could have become catastrophic because of additional mistakes by the flight crew, members of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
The four-member board recommended changes in pilot training programs to take into account simultaneous emergencies.
The findings come as American faces heightened scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The agency recently assigned a special team of 17 inspectors to examine American's aircraft maintenance and other operations. The special audit is expected to take about three months.
The NTSB's hearing on Tuesday was held to examine the Sept. 28, 2007 incident in which American Flight 1400's left engine caught fire during a departure climb from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The MD-82, a mid-sized airliner, returned to the airport, but fire had damaged the aircraft's hydraulic system so that the plane's rudder wasn't functioning and the nose landing gear failed to extend during an initial landing attempt. A second attempt was successful.
While there were no injuries, the plane sustained substantial damage.
American spokesman Tim Wagner said the airline is changing training procedures for mechanics and pilots as a result of the incident, and hiring more auditors to review maintenance work.
NTSB's issues "were with our personnel not following our procedures rather than any problem with our procedures," he said.
Investigators said the engine had had repeated trouble starting beginning 10 days before the incident. Maintenance crews replaced a starter valve six times during that period. On the day of the incident, the engine again failed to start when the plane was at the gate and had to be started manually a second time before Flight 1400 took off.
It turned out mechanics had failed to properly maintain a metal air filter, which disintegrated, investigators said. The destruction of the filter led to a series of other mechanical problems, including a bent pin, which helped caused the engine fire.
During the fire, the flight crew made several mistakes that acerbated the problem and could have led to a more serious accident, investigators said.
The pilot interrupted his emergency checklist to inform passengers of the trouble, which delayed his shut-off of fuel to the fire and allowed the fire to burn longer, investigators said. That led to the damage to the hydraulic system, they said.
"We probably wouldn't be here talking if he had done that checklist in a timely manner," investigator Dave Tew said.
The co-pilot was engaged in trying to wrestle the cockpit door closed after the fire partially shutdown the aircraft's electrical system, which released the automatic door lock, they said.
"It seems to me it was a series of people taking shortcuts that accumulated on this particular day into what could have been much more catastrophic," said safety board member Kitty Higgins.
Last August, the FAA asked American to pay a $7.1 million civil penalty -- one of the largest ever assessed against an airline -- for continuing to fly two jets after an FAA inspector and American's own mechanics found problems with their autopilot systems.
American, a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., operates the world's largest fleet of MD-80 series planes, with 275 of them. When oil prices spiked last year, American stepped up plans to replace them with more fuel-efficient jets, but that will take years.
As they age, the MD-80s are facing more maintenance issues. Last July, the FAA ordered airlines to inspect certain MD-80 models -- including most of American's -- for cracks on overwing frames. Last April, American grounded its entire MD-80 fleet to repack the electrical wiring, causing the cancellation of more than 3,000 flights.
Associated Press Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.
