American Airlines pilots union warns of “significant spike” in safety-related issues

In a warning to American Airways pilots, their union, the Allied Pilots Affiliation (APA), says it is seen “a major spike in safety- and maintenance-related issues in our operation.”

The union claims that among the many “problematic traits” it has been monitoring are instruments left in wheel wheels, an growing variety of collisions between plane whereas they’re being towed, an growing variety of gadgets left within the security space close to jet bridges and “strain to return plane to line service to take care of on-time efficiency resulting from a scarcity of spares.”

CBS Information obtained footage of a hammer the APA says was present in an Airbus A319 wheel properly on March 25 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport earlier than Flight 1654 departed for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Based on the APA, the flight’s first officer found it throughout his pre-flight walkaround and notified the captain. The captain known as upkeep, who in flip inspected the plane and located a “Channellock fashion pliers and a screwdriver additionally situated contained in the wheel properly.” The union says there have been no open upkeep actions when the device was discovered.

In a message to union members Monday, APA President Capt. Ed Sicher says, “We met with (American’s) senior administration earlier this month to debate the operational hazards we have now recognized. … We now have administration’s full consideration. We secured administration’s dedication to contain the union earlier within the security danger evaluation (SRA) course of, and we’re likewise in search of a dedication that APA may have a seat on the desk for your complete high quality assurance course of. … Administration’s preliminary response to our issues was encouraging.”

American, which is predicated in Fort Value, Texas, mentioned, “Security at any airline is a shared mission and it is very true at American. Our strong security program is guided by our industry-leading security administration system” that  contains collaborating with regulators and its unions.

Whereas not commenting immediately on the problems raised by the APA, the Federal Aviation Administration mentioned it “requires all U.S. airways to have Security Administration Methods (SMS) via which they establish, monitor and deal with potential hazards early on earlier than they turn into critical issues.”

Complaints about mechanics being pressured to shortly return planes to service aren’t new at American, as CBS Information reported in 2019.

United Airways is presently the topic of an FAA audit after a collection of regarding incidents that included a wheel falling off a Boeing 777 because it was taking off from San Francisco and an aerodynamic panel that flew off a 737 throughout a flight from San Francisco to Medford, Oregon. 

“Whereas United Airways is presently beneath public and authorities scrutiny, it might simply as simply be American Airways,” the APA memo says. 

The union security committee urged pilots to not rush or be intimidated “and do not be pressured into doing one thing that does not cross the ‘odor take a look at.’ Simply because it is authorized would not make it secure.”