Lack of Maintenance Paperwork on certain Southwest "Used" Aircraft
Nov 11, 2019, 12:32 pm
#1
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Lack of Maintenance Paperwork on certain Southwest "Used" Aircraft
Quite likely pay-walled. Google is your friend for backdoor and alternate access if you don't have a subscription.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-con...d=hp_lead_pos2
The Wall Street Journal
November 11, 2019
11:13am Central Herb Time
Southwest Airlines Co.currently flies more than three dozen jets without being able to verify they comply with all mandatory federal safety standards, according to government documents that also reveal U.S. regulators recently considered grounding the planes.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-con...d=hp_lead_pos2
The Wall Street Journal
November 11, 2019
11:13am Central Herb Time
Southwest Is Flying 38 Jets That Lack Final Safety Verification
FAA considered grounding some of the used planes over concerns about gaps in paperwork
Southwest Airlines Co.currently flies more than three dozen jets without being able to verify they comply with all mandatory federal safety standards, according to government documents that also reveal U.S. regulators recently considered grounding the planes.
Nov 11, 2019, 2:07 pm
#2
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*FAA Official on Oct. 24 Recommended Grounding Southwest Jets That Lacked Adequate Maintenance Records
*FAA Official Made Recommendation to Head of Agency in Memo Released Monday by Senate Commerce Committee
*FAA Official Made Recommendation to Head of Agency in Memo Released Monday by Senate Commerce Committee
*Internal FAA Memo Urged Immediate Action Because Southwest Couldn’t Certify to FAA or Passengers That Planes Met Safety Standards
*FAA Memo Alleged Southwest Provided Little or No Oversight to Maintenance Company That Vetted Used Aircraft From Abroad
*FAA Memo Alleged Southwest Told Agency That All Foreign Planes Were Properly Vetted Before Some Necessary Maintenance Paperwork Had Been Translated to English
*FAA Didn’t Ground Southwest Jets After Carrier Agreed to Accelerate Necessary Inspections and Complete Them by End of January
*FAA Memo Alleged Southwest Provided Little or No Oversight to Maintenance Company That Vetted Used Aircraft From Abroad
*FAA Memo Alleged Southwest Told Agency That All Foreign Planes Were Properly Vetted Before Some Necessary Maintenance Paperwork Had Been Translated to English
*FAA Didn’t Ground Southwest Jets After Carrier Agreed to Accelerate Necessary Inspections and Complete Them by End of January
Nov 11, 2019, 3:21 pm
#3
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The repeated issues with aircraft maintenance, repairs and paperwork are setting Southwest up for a heavy fall the first time there is a bad crash involving equipment.
The press will be brutal and dredge up all the past problems- the repairs done in Central America, etc. I foresee a big hit to the bottom line as the infrequent flyers avoid the brand.
The press will be brutal and dredge up all the past problems- the repairs done in Central America, etc. I foresee a big hit to the bottom line as the infrequent flyers avoid the brand.
Nov 11, 2019, 3:29 pm
#4
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WSJ says the planes are flying.
Chicago Business Journal says they're grounded:
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Chicago Business Journal says they're grounded:
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Southwest Airlines grounds 38 planes for maintenance checks
By Lewis Lazare – Reporter, Chicago Business Journal
Nov 1, 2019, 3:23pm CDT Updated Nov 1, 2019, 3:39pm CDT
Southwest Airlines in recent days removed 38 aircraft from service, according to sources close to the developments, as part of a maintenance and repair assessment effort for the fleet.
Sources said that as of Thursday at least 23 of the planes remained out of service while discrepancies in the maintenance records for the planes were examined. Planes also were being inspected by Southwest mechanics to determine if certain maintenance work had been completed and recorded properly.
Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors routinely examine aircraft maintenance records and can call for inspections if something doesn’t look right. The aluminum skins on some of the recently-grounded Southwest planes were said to be a particular point of concern.
The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation is believed to be in the final stages of a safety culture audit of Southwest that was initiated in the wake of an unusual fan blade detachment from a Southwest plane jet engine in April 2018. That incident resulted in the first-ever fatality on board a Southwest flight. The Inspector General’s report is expected in the first quarter of 2020, but some sources say it could surface sooner than that.
By Lewis Lazare – Reporter, Chicago Business Journal
Nov 1, 2019, 3:23pm CDT Updated Nov 1, 2019, 3:39pm CDT
Southwest Airlines in recent days removed 38 aircraft from service, according to sources close to the developments, as part of a maintenance and repair assessment effort for the fleet.
Sources said that as of Thursday at least 23 of the planes remained out of service while discrepancies in the maintenance records for the planes were examined. Planes also were being inspected by Southwest mechanics to determine if certain maintenance work had been completed and recorded properly.
Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors routinely examine aircraft maintenance records and can call for inspections if something doesn’t look right. The aluminum skins on some of the recently-grounded Southwest planes were said to be a particular point of concern.
The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation is believed to be in the final stages of a safety culture audit of Southwest that was initiated in the wake of an unusual fan blade detachment from a Southwest plane jet engine in April 2018. That incident resulted in the first-ever fatality on board a Southwest flight. The Inspector General’s report is expected in the first quarter of 2020, but some sources say it could surface sooner than that.
Nov 11, 2019, 3:32 pm
#5
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With the MAX grounded, for WN to lose 23-39 additional aircraft from their schedule could lead to some further cancellations and other disruptions.
Nov 11, 2019, 4:56 pm
#6
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Southwest has had an enviable safety record for many years and I expect that will not change as long as the 737 MAX stays grounded.
Nov 11, 2019, 5:11 pm
#7
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A Southwest spokesperson said of the carrier's aircraft maintenance policies: "The provider at the San Salvador airport is an experienced Boeing 737 maintenance and overhaul work (provider) and has done past work for us (in the same location). Southwest employees supervise outsourced work that mirrors our Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved maintenance program."
The spokesperson also said that the carrier continually evaluates maintenance providers "to reduce the risk associated with shortages of mechanics, to provide flexibility in heavy maintenance work planned across the coming years and to control costs."
The spokesperson also said that the carrier continually evaluates maintenance providers "to reduce the risk associated with shortages of mechanics, to provide flexibility in heavy maintenance work planned across the coming years and to control costs."
Nov 11, 2019, 5:59 pm
#8
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It's connected to the rest of Central America which is connected to Mexico which is connected to the USA so it's not offshore as much as just "south". Or it's as offshore as Texas or Florida or Alaska are.
I don't know why that would concern people. I used to fly through SAL a lot and many airlines do maintenance there so if you want to exclude airlines using the facilities there, you may want to look at buses and trains. Amtrak for sure is not fixing its trains in El Salvador.
I doubt the Chinese just use duct tape and baling wire either to post #6 .
I don't know why that would concern people. I used to fly through SAL a lot and many airlines do maintenance there so if you want to exclude airlines using the facilities there, you may want to look at buses and trains. Amtrak for sure is not fixing its trains in El Salvador.
I doubt the Chinese just use duct tape and baling wire either to post #6 .
Nov 11, 2019, 7:03 pm
#9
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"Offshore" in economic terms. Ferry flights from HOU or DAL to SAL are unlikely to avoid the Gulf shoreline, in any case.
The SWA mechanics union says it's a double standard. There's typically no background checks or drug or alcohol testing at foreign repair stations. The ratio of certified mechanics to workers is 163 to 2,223 (1:14) with limited fluency in English, the standard language of aviation and technical manuals. Can a contract worker elevate safety concerns without fear of retaliation?
The compromises are rife.
The SWA mechanics union says it's a double standard. There's typically no background checks or drug or alcohol testing at foreign repair stations. The ratio of certified mechanics to workers is 163 to 2,223 (1:14) with limited fluency in English, the standard language of aviation and technical manuals. Can a contract worker elevate safety concerns without fear of retaliation?
The compromises are rife.
Nov 11, 2019, 7:59 pm
#10
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Nov 11, 2019, 8:27 pm
#11
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It's connected to the rest of Central America which is connected to Mexico which is connected to the USA so it's not offshore as much as just "south". Or it's as offshore as Texas or Florida or Alaska are.
I don't know why that would concern people. I used to fly through SAL a lot and many airlines do maintenance there so if you want to exclude airlines using the facilities there, you may want to look at buses and trains. Amtrak for sure is not fixing its trains in El Salvador.
I doubt the Chinese just use duct tape and baling wire either to post #6 .
I don't know why that would concern people. I used to fly through SAL a lot and many airlines do maintenance there so if you want to exclude airlines using the facilities there, you may want to look at buses and trains. Amtrak for sure is not fixing its trains in El Salvador.
I doubt the Chinese just use duct tape and baling wire either to post #6 .
Nov 11, 2019, 9:02 pm
#12
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You could see where the repair was on hull both inside & outside. Very very dodgy.
Nov 12, 2019, 9:13 am
#15
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In 2009, a Boeing 737 jet carrying passengers from Omaha to Phoenix had to make an emergency landing in Denver when a high-pitched whistling sound in the cabin signaled that the seal around the main cabin door had begun to fail. It was later discovered that mechanics at Aeroman's El Salvador facility had installed a key component of the door backward.
In another incident, Aeroman mechanics crossed wires that connect the cockpit gauges and the airplane’s engines, a potentially catastrophic error that, in the words of a 2012 Congressional Research Service report, “could cause a pilot to shut down the wrong engine if engine trouble was suspected.”
In another incident, Aeroman mechanics crossed wires that connect the cockpit gauges and the airplane’s engines, a potentially catastrophic error that, in the words of a 2012 Congressional Research Service report, “could cause a pilot to shut down the wrong engine if engine trouble was suspected.”
