Repair Lapses Led To Us Air Crash

[cavalier]

For some reason itrade seems untouchable when it comes to what you refer to stirring the pot. He stirred my pot to the point I was banned.

You are correct many lives depend on this work, work that was blatantly yanked out of our hands by a new and as you call bean counter with no regard given to the contracts signed, the lives effected, and the last thing was safety as was pointed out with 700. It's all about money with no regard to the human element, doesn't matter to them in the least.

Making inflammatory remarks without regard to others very livelihoods and actually defending such blatant self-severing so-called leaders, well what can one expect, hugs and hand shakes.

This is why I have not been posting, I find it hard to keep cool when dealing with some of the many whims and yes boys, it's enough to make you throw up.

 

[aerosmith]

Why won't ITRADE respond to the previous post by cavalier ? Makes you wonder. <_<

 

[Flying Titan]

From the Wall Street Journal -

Report on 2003 US Airways Crash
Rebukes FAA for Lax Oversight
By ANDY PASZTOR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


Government crash investigators blasted the Federal Aviation Administration for failing to "aggressively pursue" serious maintenance deficiencies that ultimately led to the crash of a US Airways commuter flight in Charlotte, N.C., last year, and issued wide-ranging recommendations for enhanced government and airline oversight of mechanics.


Titan says - So much for U not taking a hit with the flying public from this. As I said earlier, this does reflect on U more than it does on some anonymous contract carrier. Nobody on that plane called the Air Midwest reservations line. They bought a ticket on U and were flying on U, plain and simple. It is critical for U to maintain the highest level of oversight with all contract carriers and any third-party contractors. Ultimately, it's U that gets the credit for a good flight or the blame when something goes wrong.

 

[Harry Callahan]

and the mgmt team wants to outsource the airbus work---i bet mgmt wont fly on the first airbus that had outsourced maintaince done to it!!!

I bet a320pilot will test hop the next Airbus out

 

[smfav8r]

What if a customer bought a ticket on USAirways and the flight was actually on a UA code share....say maybe ACA or AIR WHISKEY or a UA 737 and it crashed??

What then???

The customer still bought the ticket through U!!!

I'm not defending Mesa or outsourcing of MX, I think both of them stink, but I the more USAirways outsources and codeshares, the less USAirways has the ultimate control of the safety of there customers.

Isn't that what is the most important here???

 

[Light Years]

The fact is, it was a US flight number, US customers, US colours... my first exposure to it was CNN reporting that a US Airways plane had crashed. Are we supposed to be impressed that US has made sure its name isnt in any of the articles? It outsourced work to Mesa/Air Shitfest, they outsourced thier maintenance, and they outsourced it again. The blood of 21 people is on US Airways hands.

Some people are awfully defensive... <_< they must be stressed out from looking for ever cheaper airlines to operate our flights... I guess Uncle Bob's Flying service isnt available?

I have to go put on some lotion... my skin in ASH(B)Y. <_<

 

[ktflyhome]

Lightyears: Where HAVE you been. Missed you. Hope all is well. : :

 

[Light Years]

I was "unwired" for a few days... good to be back though- missed you too! So much reading to do from just a few days....

 

[DHG750R]

Not sure if this thread is a respost , but it's worth reading about the companies who wear our colors and represent US to the public.

'Sloppy' maintenance blamed in Air Midwest crash.
Reuters


ACCIDENT DETAILS - AirDisaster.Com Accident Database


The wreckage of an Air Midwest Beechcraft 1900 airliner is seen in this January, 2002 file photo. (File Photo/AirDisaster.Com)
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Sloppy maintenance and inadequate procedures for calculating and distributing weight led to the crash of an Air Midwest plane in North Carolina that killed 21 people last year, investigators said on Thursday.
In a sharply critical report, the National Transportation Safety Board found that missteps by a maintenance contractor were made worse by Air Midwest's use of inadequate weight and balance standards, which left the Beech 1900D turboprop overweight and tail heavy.

"There were a lot of mistakes made here," said Mark Rosenker, the vice chairman of the safety board. "I'll call it sloppy."

John Goglia, a senior board member and former mechanic, called the lapses worse than those leading to the 1996 ValuJet crash in Florida. "This accident, with the sheer number of people who failed to do their job, set a new low," he said.

Brian Gillman, a spokesman for Air Midwest parent Mesa Air Group, said the company was reviewing the findings and would not comment further.

The report prompted two senior Democrats on the House Transportation Committee, James Oberstar of Minnesota and Peter DeFazio of Oregon to ask the Transportation Department inspector general to broaden a probe of airline contract maintenance to assess safety. Many carriers farm out at least some maintenance to save money.

An agency spokesman said Inspector General Kenneth Mead was following up with lawmakers on their request.

Doomed Flight 5481 to Greenville, South Carolina, operated for US Airways as a commuter flight by Air Midwest, climbed after takeoff from Charlotte airport at a steep angle, rolled and crashed. All 19 passengers and two crew members died.

CABLES IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED

Investigators quickly concluded that cables controlling the plane's elevator, which regulates aircraft pitch, were improperly adjusted.

Records show that mechanics for Raytheon Aerospace, an Air Midwest contractor, had performed the work in West Virginia two days before the accident. The mechanic who adjusted the cables had never done that work, had little guidance and was poorly supervised. Investigators also found that mechanics skipped steps, including one that investigators said probably would have caught the cable misalignment.

In addition, they raised questions about record keeping, Air Midwest maintenance training and oversight, and the clarity of the aircraft's maintenance manual, which was written by manufacturer Raytheon Aircraft, a unit of Raytheon Co.

Raytheon Aerospace, which changed its name last year to Vertex Aerospace, is not related to Raytheon Co. It no longer does maintenance work for Air Midwest.

Compounding the maintenance problems, investigators said, were inadequate standards at Air Midwest for assessing the weight and balance of passengers and luggage. This led to "substantially inaccurate" calculations on Flight 5481.

The Beech 1900 had flown several times after the maintenance work but not with the type of load it was carrying on its final flight. The plane was 600 pounds (272 kg) overweight and tail heavy. But investigators said the plane should have been able to fly if its elevator was working.

 

[pitguy]

It is hard to hire much talent at the rates some contract maintenance vendors pay. What a shame to see flight crews and passengers paying the ultimate price.

 

[JonC]

It is hard to hire much talent at the rates some contract maintenance vendors pay. What a shame to see flight crews and passengers paying the ultimate price.

If the MIA IAM was smart, they'd use this to their advantage. Some information picketing and advertising reminding the public that you get what you pay for when it comes to aircraft maintenance. Do you really want some "lowest bidder" fixing your airplane? Hmmm......I think more people need to know about the quality (or lack there of) coming out of Bama and other mercinary maintenance facilities. Plus, from a union perspective, these facilities are nothing more than scabshops - I know its been said here before, but the unions needs to move into those place and drive the wages up to a fair level.

I've occasionally seen posts advocating action agains the contract maintenance facility workers - when it isn't their fault that they are being paid unfair wages. It's time that they get their fair share too - that would also take away the incentive for the airlines to outsource their work. (True, then many of the maintenance mercinaries would be out of business - but there would be airline work for them.)

A few thoughs from my twisted head...

Jon C

 

[Baja4U]

After TPA MTC HGR was closed, I had the oportunity of working heavy Mtc cks at timco in north fla. First I'll tell you that the mtc foreman told me on week one that 80% of the A@P's were straight out of school!!! Nice, HUH??? You would'nt EVEN begin to believe whats going on in these sweat shop MTC facilities!!!!

 

[pitguy]

The people I have spoken to that have worked in like facilities have stated they are sweat shops and get the low end caliber employee on average.

 

[cavalier]

The people I have spoken to that have worked in like facilities have stated they are sweat shops and get the low end caliber employee on average.

It's like driving thru a fast food joint where we all know they screw up your order over 50% of the time. The people working there are not neurosurgeons or give a whit because they make squat. So it's no big deal, you received the wrong food or had food left out. Now take that same effect of low pay to the Airline industry. Just because it happens to be an aircraft doesn't make this same mind set any different then what you find at the fast food joints, it's the same. Those people are like taxi drivers, just passing thru until better opportunities present themselves.

You get what you pay for. Corporate America wants to pay nothing and pocket everything and we the middle class are getting the screwing all around. Argue until you’re blue in the face, facts are fact and these are facts!

 

[46Driver]

Interesting to note that this crash of a US Airways Express flight is being discussed in the US Air forum, not in the regional forum......