WASHINGTON (ABC News/AP) - United Airlines officials recently sent a "brutally honest" safety bulletin to pilots following four incidents involving flight crew errors that were classified as "major safety events and near-misses."
- A United Airlines plan sits on an airport runway. (AP file photo)
The Jan. 9 message obtained by ABC News was sent by Howard Attarian, senior vice president of flight operations, and Mike Quiello, vice president of corporate safety. The Wall Street Journal first reported about the message.
Two of the events occurred near the ground, according to the bulletin -- with a pull-up maneuver required in one of the incidents. Another incident involved an “undesired aircraft state on departure,” with the flight crew contributing to a safety lapse.
A fourth incident involved a low fuel state.
“The common thread with all of these is that they are preventable,” the message stated.
A 2013 UPS cargo plane crash in Birmingham, Alabama, which was later blamed on pilot error, was referenced in the message. The plane crashed short of the runway at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, killing two crew members.
Pilot retirements, seat movements and new hires were identified in the message as factors that bring added risk to flight operation.
“While no one ever shows up to work with the goal of intentionally making a mistake, we are human and mistakes happen. What we can control is how we conduct ourselves on each and every flight,” the message stated.
United issued a statement to ABC News Wednesday after details of the message were initially reported by the Wall Street Journal. ABC News reached out to the airline Thursday with calls for further comment, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
“As part of our commitment to safety, we constantly monitor flight operations data and regularly communicate the findings with our pilots,” the statement read. “Our proactive approach to safety aligns with the FAA’s Safety Management System and enables us to recognize potential issues and adjust our actions to further ensure the safety of our customers and coworkers.”
Meawhile, Federal officials have agreed to let Southwest Airlines Co. keep flying planes that missed an inspection of a backup rudder system if the planes are checked in the next several days.
Southwest grounded 128 planes - about one-fifth of its fleet - earlier this week after discovering the missed inspections.
The missed inspections involved hydraulic systems used to control the rudder if the main system fails. Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said that after discovering the lapse, Southwest immediately notified federal safety regulators, took the planes out of service and began checking them.
The Federal Aviation Administration agreed to let the airline resume flying the planes while inspections are done, mostly during overnight hours. The FAA acted after talking with Southwest and Boeing, the manufacturer of the planes.
"This is a periodic inspection of a backup system," FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said Wednesday in a statement. "The FAA evaluated the risk and agreed that the airline could continue to operate the planes during the short interim."
The FAA declined to say whether it would fine Southwest.
The missed inspections were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Dallas, Texas-based Southwest is the nation's fourth-biggest airline. It has 665 jets, all of which are some version of the Boeing 737. Tuesday's groundings involved nearly one-third of its 737-700 models, which seat 137 or 143 passengers, depending on the layout.
Southwest was fined in 2009 for failing to inspect dozens of planes for cracks in the fuselage. Southwest agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle with the FAA, which had sought a $10.2 million penalty.
In 2011, the FAA ordered extensive inspections of some of Southwest's older 737s after a 5-foot hole burst open in one plane in mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing at a military base in Arizona.
Source: southwest - Google News http://ift.tt/1ARkVY7
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