[PEN-L:4751] The fruits of de-regulation

[D Shniad <shniad@xxxxxx>]

June 20, 1996

FAA DETAILS VALUJET MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS

NEW YORK (Reuter) - Federal regulators allege that
in the year before the Everglades crash, ValuJet
knowingly flew planeloads of people on DC-9's
operating with broken or malfunctioning parts.
        The New York Times cited an FAA document in
a report Thursday that ValuJet would let the planes
fly without making any attempt to inspect or repair
the problems.
        In one of the most striking cases detailed
in the FAA document, a DC-9 loaded with passengers
made an unscheduled return to Boston a year ago
because the front landing gear would not retract
properly. Mechanics decided the pilots should fly
it, empty and with the gear down, to Dulles
International airport outside Washington for
repairs. But en route the gear worked fine, so the
mechanics at Dulles returned the plane to service.
        In another incident, one ValuJet plane flew
with a hole in the engine cowl, which would have
reduced the effectiveness of the fire extinguishers
if there had been a fire. Another flew with
hydraulic fluid leaking into the face of a pressure
gauge, which could have led to a loss of hydraulic
pressure.
        Some of ValuJet's mechanics were not
qualified for their jobs, according to the FAA, and
the airline failed to complete some inspections that
regulators ordered nationally after accidents on
others airlines.
        In another case, plane was returned to
service uninspected after being struck by lightning.
One DC-9 made seven flights with windshield that was
coming apart, of another, flight crews reported 31
times over nine months that the weather radar did
not work right without effective repairs being made.
        That was "particularly troublesome," said
one official, because it "demonstrated among other
indications that there was this lack of care."
        The FAA decided Monday to shut down the
carrier because of inspection problems and because
it could not control its outside maintenance
contractors.
        The incidents detailed by the FAA were not
related to the May 11 ValuJet crash in Florida that
killed 110 people. Regulators said they had not been
aware of most of the inspection and repair incidents
until it began its post-crash review of ValuJet.