spongeg
March 27th, 2008, 08:06 AM
American Airlines cancels flights to conduct inspections
American Airlines canceled about 325 flights Wednesday to recheck some wiring installation on its MD-80 aircraft.
The inspection resulted in three canceled flights at Kansas City International Wednesday morning.
The grounding of the planes occurred following a joint audit conducted by American and Federal Aviation Administration officials, according to the airline. The FAA has been auditing the maintenance records of all U.S. carriers following Southwest Airlines’ maintenance problems two weeks ago that resulted in the cancellation of 126 flights for one day.
American said the reinspection had been completed on many of the aircraft by Wednesday morning. The 298 planes were re-entering the fleet and being taken out of service on a rolling basis throughout the day, said Tim Wagner, an American spokesman.
Wagner said the checks were being done at airports where the planes were parked before service began Wednesday. They did not require being sent to one of American’s three maintenance facilities, he added.
American, based in Fort Worth, operates an overhaul base in Kansas City.
The airline has 14 departures daily from KCI to Chicago and Dallas. At KCI, three of American’s MD-80s were parked and inspected Wednesday morning, said Gordon Clark, president of Transport Workers Union Local 530.
“It’s a relatively simple check,” Clark said. “We had our mechanics ready Wednesday morning to make sure we were in compliance.”
The inspection involves the spacing between two bundles of wiring in the auxiliary hydraulics systems of the planes. They are supposed to be one inch apart, and some planes were found to have them slightly further apart, Wagner said.
Most of American’s aircraft were parked at its hubs in Dallas and Chicago, where each airport on Wednesday had about 80 and 67 cancellations, respectively.
Wagner said most passengers affected by Wednesday’s cancellations were booked on other flights during the day, although some are flying today.
The FAA, under fire for its handling of safety inspections at Southwest Airlines, last week said it was ordering a check of maintenance records at all U.S. airlines. The FAA hit Southwest this month with a $10.2 million civil penalty for missing some inspections and then continuing to fly the planes with passengers on board after realizing the mistake. Dallas-based Southwest, which turned itself in when it discovered the oversight, plans to appeal.
The FAA’s preliminary audit on the maintenance operations of all the airlines should be completed by Friday, said Alison Duquette, an FAA spokeswoman.
“We should have a general idea of where all the airlines stand with respect to general compliance issues after that,” she said. “So far, we’re seeing a high rate of compliance on airworthiness directives.”
American Eagle, American’s regional carrier owned by parent AMR Corp., had to cancel 15 flights and ground 25 jets last Friday to review inspection paperwork on the aircraft. Wagner said American Eagle’s records had proved to be in order but the carrier elected to ground the planes for a few hours while awaiting the final FAA approval.
http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2008/03/26/21/961-American_Airlines_Cancellations__03-27-2008_HK122DOR.embedded.prod_affiliate.81.jpg
On Wednesday, American Airlines grounded more than 300 flights in order to inspect the spacing between two bundles of wiring in the auxiliary hydraulics systems of its MD-80 airplanes.
http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/548041.html
American Airlines canceled about 325 flights Wednesday to recheck some wiring installation on its MD-80 aircraft.
The inspection resulted in three canceled flights at Kansas City International Wednesday morning.
The grounding of the planes occurred following a joint audit conducted by American and Federal Aviation Administration officials, according to the airline. The FAA has been auditing the maintenance records of all U.S. carriers following Southwest Airlines’ maintenance problems two weeks ago that resulted in the cancellation of 126 flights for one day.
American said the reinspection had been completed on many of the aircraft by Wednesday morning. The 298 planes were re-entering the fleet and being taken out of service on a rolling basis throughout the day, said Tim Wagner, an American spokesman.
Wagner said the checks were being done at airports where the planes were parked before service began Wednesday. They did not require being sent to one of American’s three maintenance facilities, he added.
American, based in Fort Worth, operates an overhaul base in Kansas City.
The airline has 14 departures daily from KCI to Chicago and Dallas. At KCI, three of American’s MD-80s were parked and inspected Wednesday morning, said Gordon Clark, president of Transport Workers Union Local 530.
“It’s a relatively simple check,” Clark said. “We had our mechanics ready Wednesday morning to make sure we were in compliance.”
The inspection involves the spacing between two bundles of wiring in the auxiliary hydraulics systems of the planes. They are supposed to be one inch apart, and some planes were found to have them slightly further apart, Wagner said.
Most of American’s aircraft were parked at its hubs in Dallas and Chicago, where each airport on Wednesday had about 80 and 67 cancellations, respectively.
Wagner said most passengers affected by Wednesday’s cancellations were booked on other flights during the day, although some are flying today.
The FAA, under fire for its handling of safety inspections at Southwest Airlines, last week said it was ordering a check of maintenance records at all U.S. airlines. The FAA hit Southwest this month with a $10.2 million civil penalty for missing some inspections and then continuing to fly the planes with passengers on board after realizing the mistake. Dallas-based Southwest, which turned itself in when it discovered the oversight, plans to appeal.
The FAA’s preliminary audit on the maintenance operations of all the airlines should be completed by Friday, said Alison Duquette, an FAA spokeswoman.
“We should have a general idea of where all the airlines stand with respect to general compliance issues after that,” she said. “So far, we’re seeing a high rate of compliance on airworthiness directives.”
American Eagle, American’s regional carrier owned by parent AMR Corp., had to cancel 15 flights and ground 25 jets last Friday to review inspection paperwork on the aircraft. Wagner said American Eagle’s records had proved to be in order but the carrier elected to ground the planes for a few hours while awaiting the final FAA approval.
http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2008/03/26/21/961-American_Airlines_Cancellations__03-27-2008_HK122DOR.embedded.prod_affiliate.81.jpg
On Wednesday, American Airlines grounded more than 300 flights in order to inspect the spacing between two bundles of wiring in the auxiliary hydraulics systems of its MD-80 airplanes.
http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/548041.html