American Air Faces Record $24.2 Million Fine for 2008 Maintenance Lapses

American Air가 무려 2천 4백만 불의 벌금을 물게 되었다고.

2008년도 구형 항공기인 MD-80의 정비 지연으로 일주일간 3300건의 비행이 취소되었고, 이로인해 36만 명의 승객이 묶여있었는데 그에 따른 연방 항공국(FAA)이 부과한 벌금.

wire bundle의 결함을 발견해서 수리하느라 발생된 지연.
FAA에서는 Americam Air가 286대의 MD-80s에서 2006 검사 명령을 어기고 만4천 시간을 비행했다는걸 찾아냈고, 이 검사 명령의 목적이 wire bundle의 합선 결함으로 인해 연료 폭발이나 2차 동력 손실을 막기 위한 것이었음.
따라서 American Air의 규정 위반이 명백하므로 부과한 벌금이라는 것.

911 이후로 미항공 운송 시장의 고사 위기에서 인수 합병을 거치며 재편되던 시기에, 그나마 가장 잘 버텨왔던 AA이라 충격이 좀 큰 듯.
2006~2007년 texas 거주할 당시에도, 지역 뉴스에서 Fort worth를 연고로 하는 AA의 위기에 대한 뉴스가 자주 나왔던 것이 기억난다. 도산과 인수 합병 위기를 무사히 헤치고나와 미국내 항공운송 2위 업체로 살아 남았는데 24백만불의 벌금이라....거기다 자회사인 단거리 운송사 americn eagle까지 랜딩 기어 정비 규정 위반으로 인해 2백9십만불을 물어야 할 처지라니 설상가상이 딱 맞는 상황.


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-26/amr-faces-24-million-faa-fine-for-2008-maintenance-lapses-on-md-80-planes.html

American Air Faces Record $24.2 Million Fine for 2008 Maintenance Lapses

By John Hughes and Mary Schlangenstein - Aug 27, 2010 5:44 AM GMT+0900

AMR Corp.’s American Airlines faces a record $24.2 million fine for maintenance lapses that grounded its Boeing Co. MD-80s in 2008, stranding 360,000 passengers, the Federal Aviation Administration said today.

The proposal, exceeding the $10.2 million the FAA sought from Southwest Airlines Co. more than two years ago, sets up months of talks with American over a final penalty for alleged flaws that forced cancellation of 3,300 flights in a week.

American is “highly likely” to win a reduction in the sanction, said Robert Ditchey, a consultant and former airline maintenance executive in Marina del Ray, California. Southwest persuaded the FAA to reduce the penalty by a quarter before agreeing to pay $7.5 million last year.

The FAA’s announcement in Washington ends a two-year investigation into American’s alleged failure to inspect MD-80 wire bundles and take corrective action. The FAA forced American to ground the planes, which made up almost half its fleet, when it discovered the lapses in April 2008.

“We put rules and regulations in place to keep the flying public safe,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “There can be no compromises when it comes to safety.”

American, the second-largest U.S. carrier, has challenged the FAA’s finding in the wiring case and said the safety of passengers was never an issue. The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier has 30 days to respond to the FAA’s enforcement letter.

“We believe this action is unwarranted,” American said in an e-mailed statement today. “We plan to follow the FAA’s process and will challenge any proposed civil penalty.”

14,278 Flights

The FAA found that 286 Boeing MD-80s made 14,278 flights in violation of a 2006 inspection directive. The requirement was aimed at preventing the wires from shorting out or arcing, which could lead to fires, auxiliary power loss or fuel-tank explosions, according to the agency.

“Obviously American didn’t follow the rules exactly the way they should have,” said Fred Mirgle, retired chairman of aviation maintenance at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. “If proper procedures and practices weren’t carried out, it’s a violation.”

American told employees in a message today “there was no evidence of any chafing of wires” in the 2008 inspections. “The company took significant steps to address FAA concerns” and received approval from the FAA’s regional office to use an alternate means to comply, the message said.

Carrier Collaboration

LaHood’s Transportation Department and the FAA, which rely on carrier collaboration to ensure safety, are moving toward stricter enforcement after being criticized for working too closely with carriers, Ditchey said.

“The DOT and FAA are trying to protect themselves, their reputation,” he said. “They’re getting a little hard.”

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat, said during the investigation of the Southwest allegations the FAA had a “cozy relationship” with carriers. An inspector general report in February faulted FAA oversight of American’s maintenance.

Today’s announcement adds to earlier flaws regulators detected at American. The FAA said in February that AMR’s American Eagle commuter carrier may be fined $2.9 million for improper repairs on landing-gear doors.

On Feb. 1, the FAA proposed a $2.5 million fine on Eagle for failing to properly calculate baggage weights. In August 2008, the FAA proposed penalties of as much as $7.1 million against American over allegations of deferred maintenance, drug and alcohol-testing deficiencies and inadequate lighting inspections.

Southwest, Eastern

The $7.5 million fine for Southwest, which the carrier expects to pay by Jan. 15, would be the largest collected from an airline so far. The FAA in 1987 imposed a $9.5 million penalty on Eastern Airlines, which went out of business after paying $1 million, the FAA has said.

The FAA said Southwest operated 46 Boeing 737s on 59,791 flights without full fuselage inspections for cracks. The carrier flew jets after discovering the inspection lapses, and later found cracks in six of the planes, the FAA said in 2008.

To contact the reporter for this story: John Hughes in Washington jhughes5@bloomberg.net Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at maryc.s@bloomberg.net