Originally Posted by
benmo13
I’m curious… what kind of “evidence” are you expecting the OP to provide?
I’m not an expert here so did a quick search on the criteria for an event to be defined as a hard landing. It seems Boeing, for one, is of the view that the flight crew assessment is the most reliable way to determine whether a hard landing occurred.
https://www.boeing.com/commercial/ae...l_story.html#1
PS: the OP is asking whether a hard landing would be a mechanical or human fault, and what the rules are for attendants calling in sick after such event. Demanding proof that the OP’s story is true (and implicitly suggesting the hard landing didn’t occur) is completely irrelevant in the context of this discussion. It’s also not polite.
I'm not suggesting that a subjectively hard landing did not occur. I'm suggesting that an
objectively Hard Landing as defined by the appropriate maintenance manual did not occur and especially not on two consecutive flights.
Again, an actual defined Hard Landing would require a special inspection afterwards.
OP didn't mention anything about a delay due to maintenance performing a hard landing inspection. A hard landing inspection is not going to be completed and signed off in the typical 40-50 minutes AA schedules turnarounds.
I'm assuming that a subjectively hard landing occurred. And I'm also suggesting that one FA's back problems had nothing to do with the subjectively hard landing.
If an actual
definitional Hard Landing had occurred, that would no doubt be pilot error. Manufacturers don't design their autoflight systems to prang aircraft onto the ground at excessive sink rates.
As for an FA calling in sick, I imagine they can do so for any reason if they're feeling sick. Bad back due to a hard landing or any other reason. I don't have the current APFA contract handy but I'm sure that AA can punish FAs who call in sick too often. And I'm also assuming that an FA's union rep could dispute a punishment if they could prove the injury was an on-the-job injury as a back injury from a documented Hard Landing would doubtless be. An undocumented subjectively hard landing that only injured 1 of 4 FAs on the other hand...