FAA moving the goalposts?
Is the FAA changing the rules on airlines when it comes to airworthiness directives?
Privately, many airline maintenance workers are grumbling that is the case. American Airlines, faced with shutting down its entire MD-80 fleet for a questionable maintenance procedure is crying “foul.” They claim that the FAA has changed the approvals and has denied the “latitude” normally accorded the airlines when it comes to these technical specifications.
It seems reasonable that the airlines should be able to decide how to make repairs to correct problems that they themselves have brought to the attention of the FAA. In the case of American Airlines the entire airworthiness directive was one that they initiated and helped to write. Only, after writing the repair manual and beginning repairs, the FAA came in and decided to change some minor specifications.
The FAA is claiming that any deviation from the written specifications must be reviewed and approved by their safety experts. That kind of control and scrutiny may be enough to ground the country’s entire collection of airline fleets. Hopefully the FAA and the airlines will reach a compromise.
The only people suffering with this bureaucratic enforcement dance are the passengers. They pay with canceled flights and higher airfares when the airlines need to make up their losses and pay their fines.
You may also be interested in these articles
Comments
Please share your thoughts...