APA defends the need for maintenance write-ups | Airline Biz Blog

The Allied Pilots Association issued a press release Friday afternoon that, like a week earlier, defended American Airlines pilots for the increased number of maintenance problems they?ve been writing up.

??Federal aviation regulations and American Airlines? policies and procedures require that all known mechanical discrepancies be entered into the aircraft?s maintenance logbook for corrective action,? APA president Keith Wilson said in the union?s release.

??Failure to place a mechanical discrepancy in the maintenance logbook can result in a revocation of a pilot?s license by the Federal Aviation Administration, not to mention the fact that it could result in a serious safety risk,? he said.

The release came a day after Wilson sent a message to his members telling them not to do anything to foul up American?s operations. His message came in response to a letter from American Airlines officials threatening to go into court to get a temporary restraining order unless the carrier?s operations improve.

Like last week, the APA cited problems reported the last several days. In Friday?s release, it included a broken pilot oxygen mask, a hydraulic leak in a main landing gear, an overheating warning on aircraft avionics, fuel tank seepage on the airport ramp and premature fuel burn indications.

It also cited other recent problems, including a Boeing 737 that ?had a wheel well fire indication in flight and was forced to declare an emergency and returned to the departure airport?; a Boeing 737 that ?declared an emergency and was diverted to Amarillo due to a smoke and electrical smell in the cockpit while en route from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Denver?; a Boeing 767 that had bearing failures in the main landing gear ? requiring replacement of two wheels?; a Boeing 767 that ?experienced multiple landing gear indication malfunctions after takeoff and was forced to declare an emergency and land overweight at the departure airport?; and an airplane that had? ?a premature fuel burn from the left main wing tank, causing a serious weight and balance issue.?

The release cited the FAA email that said the Federal Aviation Administration was keeping an close eye on American because of the current situation. An FAA statement Friday morning clarified that that extra scrutiny has been underway since American filed for bankruptcy Nov. 29.

?Our pilots should never be pressured or bullied into not reporting any maintenance issues that could endanger the traveling public,? Wilson said in the release.

UPDATE, 5:50 p.m. Friday: American spokesman Bruce Hicks fired back with these comments:

?The APA?s press release is an outrageous and disappointing attempt to divert attention from the real issues of the operational disruption caused by some pilots? illegal job action.? The kinds of issues cited in their press release are not uncommon in the industry and they are not the issue.? No one at American is questioning normal maintenance write-ups.

?However, certain pilots are engaging in an unlawful, concerted effort to damage the company.? For the past several weeks, we have seen an unprecedented increase in pilot maintenance write ups, many at the time of scheduled departure, which are certainly not safety related.? And, the number of reports where a mechanic has responded to a pilot?s complaint and found nothing wrong have risen 97%.? The unlawful conduct by some pilots includes unnecessary checks, increased and late-filed maintenance write-ups, increased block times due to slow taxiing, and circuitous routings.

?American has asked APA to take action to help end these illegal job actions and return our operations to normal levels.? Our goal remains for all of us to put this recent behavior behind us and turn to the critical task of operating a more efficient, competitive airline in the interest of all economic stakeholders, including our pilots.?

Source: http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2012/09/apa-defends-the-need-for-maintenance-write-ups.html/

aspirin aspirin 21 jump street illinois primary results acapulco mexico hines ward alex smith