Whistleblowers Say They Were Fired After Voicing Safety Concerns

A former Gulfstream Airlines lead mechanic alleges routine aircraft inspections often were completed only on paper, and pilots’ discrepancies signed off without being repaired. And a former pilot alleges the airline disregarded his safety concerns, and routinely alters pilot-recorded flight times to meet FAA guidelines.

Gulfstream Airlines operates primarily as Continental Connection, carrying 2,500 passengers daily to 20 locations in Florida and the Bahamas. Although a flight landing in Tampa last May suffered a nose-gear collapse, the airline maintains that it has a good safety record.

Dan Brisco, former lead mechanic with the airline in 2006 and 2007, told WTVJ-6 "I think there’s a culture there throughout the airline that we can get around the regulations."

When a reporter for the Miami television station asked Brisco if "the airplanes flew in essence not within the regulations set by the FAA?" the mechanic's answer was harsh, and to-the-point.

"Not even close to it," Brisco responded. "The aircraft would come in for scheduled inspections and the paper would be completed but the inspections would never be done. Or discrepancies that the pilots would document would be signed off and they would never be looked at."

"I started complaining to the supervisor and then eventually to the vice president of maintenance that basically their records were being falsified," he continued. "People were signing off work they weren’t doing."

Gulfstream Airlines president Dave Hackett said Brisco "was having safety issues with other employees who were concerned with his very aggressive behavior and use of inappropriate language." He was also cited for refusal to display his security badge and to sign a disciplinary agreement, but Brisco said those charges were fabricated.

Apparently some work, although questionable in nature, was getting done. An inspection by the FAA earlier this year revealed "automotive air conditioning compressors were installed in 27 Beech aircraft operated by Gulfstream," creating "a low safety risk." The part, "virtually identical to the FAA approved part," does not "undergo a rigorous FAA quality control process to ensure they are safe for use in aircraft."

"There is no difference in the compressors," Hackett said. "The airline places the highest priority on operating safety," and no passengers were ever in danger. The compressors have since been replaced.

Kenny Edwards, former pilot for Gulfstream, was fired after refusing to fly an aircraft with an inoperable collision avoidance system, although not required. Edwards, previously refusing to fly in a similar situation last December, balked due to a "close pass" with another plane in poor weather on the previous flight leg.

Edwards called the dispatch supervisor, "And I said 'I don’t feel comfortable in these conditions flying this plane,’ and he said, 'Are you refusing direct orders from your director of operations?' and I said, 'Well, if you're going to put it that way, then yes I am, but I don't think it's safe.' He said, 'You need to get in the cockpit, and you need to fly the airplane now.'"

Hackett told WTVJ-6 Edwards' reasons for refusing to fly were "nonsense." Edwards maintains that is a captain's decision, one which was not honored by his boss. "I got a letter of termination the next day," Edwards said. The Department of Labor determined Gulfstream's firing of Edwards was justified, but he plans to sue.

The whistle-blower report filed by Edwards has been re-opened by the FAA after initially clearing Gulfstream. He told the FAA that pilots were exceeding the Federal regulations on flight hours and Gulfstream altered flight logs to remain "legal," and has documentation to prove it.

The plane's log for one particular flight shows a push-back time of 0730, while the Gulfstream's computer record logged 0755, a discrepancy of 25 minutes. The company explained the difference was due to a maintenance delay when the plane returned to the gate; Edwards said it did not.

WTVJ-6 interviewed one current and three former Gulfstream employees, who declined to be identified but testified that "shaving" flight times in company records was routine to keep flight crews legal. "They were doctoring the time of the legs that had already been flown," one said.

FMI: www.gulfstreamair.com