Airline Safety

Part 1 of a Two-part Investigation

THE NATION'S LARGEST AIRLINE HAS LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION INTO MAINTENANCE 
CONCERNS THAT COULD THREATEN YOUR SAFETY IN THE AIR. THE PROBE AT UNITED 
AIRLINES IS A DIRECT RESULT OF AN INVESTIGATION BY CHANNEL FIVE'S CHRISTI 
O'CONNOR.

UNITED IS AN $18 BILLION CORPORATION WITH FLIGHTS IN AND OUT OF THE BAY AREA 
EVERY DAY. IT HAS NOT HAD A PLANE CRASH IN NINE YEARS. AND SINCE THEN IT'S 
FLOWN SOME 7-MILLION FLIGHTS. BUT TWO MONTHS AGO SOME OF IT'S OWN MECHANICS 
CONTACTED CHRISTI O'CONNOR ABOUT PRESSURE THEY SAY THEY FEEL TO CUT SAFETY 
CORNERS.  

Christi O'Connor: "United mechanics are signing planes off right now that 
aren't ready to go?"

Mechanic: "Oh yea, definitely. It's not safe. You never know what's going out. 
What's wrong with the plane."

NINE UNITED MECHANICS, SEVEN IN BOSTON. AND TWO IN SAN FRANCISCO, TELL US THE 
PUSH TO GET PLANES TO THE GATE SO YOU CAN BOARD "ON TIME", HAS MAINTENANCE 
MANAGERS PRESSURING THEM TO CUT SAFETY CORNERS. THEY SAY THE THREATS TO AIR 
SAFETY HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS.

BACK IN 1994:

Cliff Williams: United Mechanic: "I find a crack."

UNITED MECHANIC CLIFF WILLIAMS SAYS ON A 757 ENGINE, LIKE THIS ONE, HE FOUND A 
CRACK IN A FUEL NOZZLE.

Cliff Williams: "The engines no good. It's out of limits."

WILLIAMS SAYS HE NOTIFIED ENGINE CONTROL IN SAN FRANCISCO, RECOMMENDING THE 
PLANE BE GROUNDED, BUT:

Cliff Williams: "Here comes a foreman to get it out of town 'cause we don't 
have an engine in Boston. They have to drive one from Chicago and the plane 
would be grounded for days."

Christi O'Connor: "That plane was full of passengers?"

Mechanic: "Yes. It was allowed to take off."

WE ASKED UNITED OFFICIALS ABOUT WILLIAMS' ALLEGATION. THEY WOULDNT TALK ON 
CAMERA. BUT ON PAPER TOLD US: THE FOREMAN ON THAT JOB "WOULD NOT HAVE KEPT 
SOMEONE QUALIFIED FROM DOING A JOB." 

SIX MONTHS AGO WILLIAMS SAYS HE WAS THERE WHEN A PILOT TESTED AN ALARM SYSTEM 
LIKE THIS ONE. IT'S DESIGNED TO ALERT THE CREW IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE IN THE 
CARGO UNIT.

Cliff Williams: "It failed."

WILLIAMS SAYS A MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR FIDDLED WITH THE FIRE TEST SYSTEM, BUT 
THEN CLEARED THE PLANE FOR TAKE OFF BEFORE IT WAS FULLY FIXED. 

UNITED SAYS IT'S "REVIEW OF MAINTENANCE RECORDS SHOWS NO WRITEUPS OF CARGO FIRE
DETECTION PROBLEMS."

United Mechanic: "What it's creating to me is a dangerous situation."

THIS UNITED MECHANIC REQUESTED ANONYMITY:

United Mechanic: "Some of the mechanics feel pressured to maybe not do the 
precedures correctly. To make an aircraft depart on time."

United Mechanic: "Pressuring guys to sign stuff off, just to get it out of 
town. It happens a lot."

THIS UNITED MECHANIC SAYS WHEN HE HAS REFUSED A MANAGER'S "ORDER" TO SIGN OFF 
ON REPAIRS:

United Mechanic: "I've seen them just come out, not even open up the engine, 
just go up there and tell the crew it's ok or within limits without even 
looking into it or documenting it!"

Every day dozens of United flights take off from here at Boston's Logan 
International Airport and land here at SFO. So any incomplete repairs could 
impact Bay Area passengers."

WILLIAMS EXPECTS TO BE FIRED, AGAIN. IN 1997 UNITED FIRED WILLIAMS. THE COMPANY
SAYS BECAUSE WILLIAMS BROKE COMPANY RULES BY LEAVING WORK EARLY ONE DAY.

AN ARBITRATOR RULED WILLIAMS WAS WRONGLY FIRED AND ORDERED UNITED TO HIRE HIM 
BACK.

WE ASKED UNITED ABOUT SPECIFIC MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS MECHANICS CLAIM THEY WERE 
ORDERED TO OVERLOOK INCLUDING: A BENT ENGINE BLADE AND A FUEL LEAK.

UNITED RESPONDED: A REVIEW OF OUR MAINTENANCE RECORDS SHOWS "NO EVIDENCE OF 
CREDIBLE SAFETY ALLEGATIONS WERE REPORTED." 

BUT OUR HIDDEN CAMERA IN THE UNITED HANGAR IN BOSTON CAPTURED THIS:
A WHEEL MECHANICS TOLD US HAD DAYS BEFORE FELL APART AS A PASSENGER-LOADED 
PLANE WAS BEING TAXIED TO THE RUNWAY. A MECHANIC HAD LEFT OUT A PART OF THE 
WHEEL.

United Mechanic: "The aircraft couldn't move the wheel assembly was so torn up."

Christi O'Connor: "Did someone sign it off saying it was supposed to be done 
and it wasn't?"

United Mechanic: "Ultimately it has to be signed off before the aircraft 
leaves."

THIS MAINTENANCE RECORD SHOWS THE LEAD MECHANIC DID SIGN OFF THE JOB. UNITED 
WOULD NOT CONFIRM THIS WAS A SAFETY THREAT, BUT TOLD US THE MECHANIC HAS BEEN 
DISCIPLINED.

United Mechanic: "You know, probably a hurry. A rush job."

MECHANICS TELL US EVEN THOUGH MECHANICS HAD FIVE HOURS TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE 
ON THE PLANE THIS WAS THE RESULT OF FEELING RUSHED TO DO THE JOB.

United Mechanic: "We feel were not being taken seriously."

United Mechanic: "Like we saw in Alaska Airlines, it's gonna happen. I mean 
what does it take, a crash for them to come in and say there's a problem here.?"


UNITED SAYS IF ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS DID OCCUR A MECHANIC WHO FAILED TO REPORT 
THEM IS RESPONSIBLE. BUT MECHANICS ARGUE THESE ARE CASES IN WHICH THEY HAD TO 
ARGUE WITH A SUPERVISOR, WHO THEN FAILED TO DOCUMENT THE PROBLEM. 

ELEVEN MONTHS AGO UNITED MECHANICS CALLED AN UNPRECEDENTED MEETING WITH COMPANY
OFFICIALS IN WHICH THEY SAY THEY SPELLED OUT CONCERNS ABOUT BEING PRESSURED TO 
CUT CORNERS, ALSO TO SAY THEY WERE BEING HARASSED AND INTIMIDATED BY MANAGERS.

UNITED OFFICIALS PLEDGED TO INVESTIGATE. BUT DIDN'T UNTIL WE ASKED "WHY NOT?" 
UNITED SAYS IT CONSIDERED THAT MEETING A MATTER OF LABOR ISSUES, NOT "SAFETY" 
CONCERNS. BUT LAST WEEK IT ORDERED AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO MECHANICS' 
SAFETY CONCERNS.


from this link

Airline Safety, Part 2

A Special Investigation

TONIGHT SOME MAINTENANCE MECHANICS FOR THE NATION'S LARGEST AIRLINE SAY THE 
FEDERAL AGENCY THAT'S SUPPOSED TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY HAS IGNORED THEIR 
WARNINGS.

UNITED AIRLINES SAYS IT ENCOURAGES EMPLOYEES TO REPORT SAFETY CONCERNS WITHOUT 
ANY FEAR OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION. BUT SOME MECHANICS SAY WHEN THEY'VE REFUSED TO
BE RUSHED OR HAVE RESISTED PRESSURE TO CUT SAFETY CORNERS THEY'VE BEEN 
INTIMIDATED, OR HARASSED BY A SUPERVISOR. THEY SAY THEIR CONCERNS HAVE BEEN 
REPORTED TO THE FAA, BUT THAT THE FAA HAS IGNORED THEM. CHRISTI O'CONNOR HAS 
MORE IN PART TWO OF HER INVESTIGATION.

United Mechanic: "I've never been interviewed"

United Mechanic: "Most of the guys just don't say anything now 'cause they know
nothing's gonna be done about it."

THESE UNITED AIRLINES MECHANICS SAY THE FAA HAS IGNORED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 
PRESSURE THEY FEEL TO CUT SAFETY CORNERS.

Cliff Williams, United Mechanic: "You believe something's unairworthy. It's 
that simple. If management's not doing anything and you feel there's a safety 
concern and they're not addressing it there should be someplace to go."

LAST DECEMBER, IN A LETTER TO THE FAA UNITED MECHANIC CLIFF WILLIAMS REPORTED 
12 MAINTENANCE FAILURES HE CLAIMS HAD THREATENED PASSENGER SAFETY, INCLUDING AN
ENGINE LIKE THIS ONE HE WORKED ON BACK IN 1991. DESPITE A FAN BLADE BEING 
SEVERELY BENT, IT WAS ALLEGEDLY RELEASED TO FLY.

Cliff Williams, United Mechanic: "A plane could crash."

IN DECEMBER, THIS LETTER SHOWS WILLIAMS ALSO TOLD THE FAA THAT BACK IN 1994, A 
MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR RELEASED A PLANE TO FLY WITH AN ENGINE COMPRESSOR IN THE
"WORST SHAPE WILLIAMS HAD EVER SEEN."

WILLIAMS SAYS THE PLANE WAS RELEASED ANYWAY, BUT HAD TO EMERGENCY LAND BECAUSE 
THE COMPRESSOR FAILED IN THE AIR. WILLIAMS ALSO WROTE TO THE FAA THAT, SIX 
MONTHS AGO A PLANE LIKE THIS WAS RELEASED WITH A FAULTY FIRE TEST SYSTEM, A 
SYSTEM DESIGNED TO ALERT THE PILOT IF THE CARGO UNIT CAUGHT FIRE.

Cliff Williams: "If there's a fire in the plane and it doesn't work then there's 
gonna be a problem."

WE ASKED THE FAA ABOUT THE COMPLAINTS.

Mitch Barker, FAA Spokesman: "We can talk about general questions but I'm not 
going to be able to get into specifics."

THIS LETTER WE OBTAINED SHOWS THE FAA DID RECEIVE WILLIAMS LETTERS. HERE THE 
FAA RESPONDS TO WILLIAMS THAT IT FOUND THE CARGO FIRE TEST WILLIAMS WAS 
CONCERNED ABOUT "WAS WITHIN DESIGN LIMITS". THE FAA GOES ON TO WRITE "WE ARE 
WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM UNITED AIRLINES" REGARDING WILLIAMS OTHER CONCERNS.
BUT FIVE MONTHS HAVE PASSED.

Cliff Williams: "To me the FAA isn't really doing its job."

THESE UNITED MECHANICS ARE NOT THE FIRST MAINTENANCE EXPERTS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT 
THE FAA.

LAST MONTH IN SEATTLE SOME ALASKA AIR MECHANICS COMPLAINED THE FAA FAILED TO 
NOTE THEIR DEGREE OF CONCERN ABOUT THE PRESSURE THEY FELT TO CUT SAFETY CORNERS
ON ALASKA PLANES.

John Liotine, Alaska Airlines Mechanic: "The FAA seems to be reactionary instead 
of pro active in situations such as these."

AND 17 MONTHS AGO, ALASKA LEAD MECHANIC JOHN LIOTINE REPORTED TO THE FAA ALASKA
AIRLINE SUPERVISORS WERE SIGNING OFF ON REPAIRS MECHANICS HAD NOT MADE. LIOTINE
EXPRESSED CONCERN IN THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH US LAST DECEMBER.

John Liotine: "You could lose an engine. Plain and simple. You could lose an 
engine."

AN FAA INVESTIGATOR SPENT MONTHS INVESTIGATING AND RECOMMENDED A WHOPPING 8.7
MILLION DOLLAR FINE AGAINST ALASKA. BUT AN FAA COMMITEE SLASHED THE FINE FROM 
8.7 MILLION TO LESS THAN FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.

Christi O'Connor: "Why would the FAA not go with the recommendation of an 
investigator who'd spent months on it? 

Mitch Barker: "There are many aspects to consider. The record of a company 
whether this has happened before. How serious the infraction is. How we can 
defend the sanction in court should it come to that."

ALASKA AND UNITED MECHANICS SAY IF THE FAA CONTINUES THE PRACTICE OF LISTENING 
TO AIRLINE MANAGERS AND IGNORING MAINTENANCE MECHANICS A PRICE WILL BE PAID IN 
LIVES.

Cliff Williams: "How many times does it take for a plane to crash to make it 
acceptable to the FAA."

THE FAA SAYS IT'S LOOKING INTO EACH OF THE 12 INCIDENTS IN WHICH WILLIAMS 
CLAIMS PASSENGER SAFETY WAS PUT AT RISK. WE'LL FOLLOW UP TO SEE HOW THE FAA 
HANDLES THIS CASE AND WHAT IT FINDS. 

from this link

to Safety Menu