If the regs say 1", why wasn't AA staying within the rules? Planes have been brought down by a lot less than a 1/4 inch difference (BA lost a windshield because a screw was about 1 mm too small in size).
When people's lives are at stake, details matter. If there were a crash, you'd all be screaming bloody murder if it came out that they knowingly evaded FAA rules.
Let's call a spade a spade. This all happened because it became OK for airlines to make their own acceptable limits. Now that those cozy days are over and airlines must follow the rules, this is what's happening. Blame the FAA? sure... they shouldve been enforcing the audits for years.
Blame the airlines? Absolutely! they cut corners, rushed maintenance, and declared their own safety standards. Now it's biting them.
I feel bad for all impacted flyers and employees.
Now, will AA's executive staff stop blaming those "nit picky" regulators and take responsibility. This is a business of exact standards. 1/4" in general can absolutely make a difference between a safe flight and a disaster. I'll leave it to an actual pilot, inspector, or maintenance engineer to say whether 1/4" in a wire tie is critical.
I'd prefer the airline industry to have basic rules and be forced to operate within them. eliminate variance.
Basic 6 sigma philosophy. Define defects and you will narrow the bell curve. 3.4 errors per million opportunities is a heckuva lot safer than 14,000 errors per million. (aircraft operate at 12 or 13 sigma.... I like those odds even better)