Two More Cases Of Improper Load Reporting Uncovered

The potential fallout from an FAA investigation into reports of overloaded American Eagle commuter planes appears to be growing more severe. Sources tell ABC News the airline -- the regional subsidiary of American Airlines -- may soon be booted from a voluntary safety reporting program over evidence the carrier flew overloaded or improperly balanced aircraft on at least 19 occasions.

ABC broke the original story earlier this month, as ANN reported... and it now appears there are more cases of improper loading of American Eagle planes.

Sources say the FAA discovered crews loaded a 300-lb metal maintenance ladder and four 50-lb. sandbags onboard an American Eagle plane earlier this year, to serve as ballast. Such measures aren't uncommon when dealing with lightly-loaded commuter planes, which are particularly sensitive to improper loading and weight distribution of passengers and baggage. In many cases, passengers are asked to change seats, to better distribute weight throughout the aircraft.

But what raised eyebrows at the FAA are reports the ballast wasn't entered into the plane's load sheet... and that the heavy metal ladder was apparently not tied down in the hold.

"This is a serious violation of FAA regulations," former FAA inspector Bill McNeese told ABCNews.com. "An unsecured metal object with sharp corners bouncing around in a cargo hold could compromise the flight characteristics of the plane."

Also disturbing is the revelation the plane's pilot was unaware of the ladder's presence on his aircraft. He says he "had no idea" the ballast had been added, and that he was "very upset" to discover the staircase inside the cargo hold.

The pilot recalculated the plane's weight and balance upon landing, and found the numbers to be within acceptable limits. He then notified the FAA of the incident. "This was a serious safety concern for me," he said.

Another alleged case of overloading -- involving the placement of an unsecured metal pipe, weighing several hundred pounds, onboard another aircraft -- is also being investigated by the FAA.

The sheer number of violations being investigated by the agency has cast doubt on American Eagle's continued participation in the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). The program allows airlines to voluntarily report violations without fear of repercussions, as long as the problems are quickly corrected.

American Eagle had no comment to ABC about the latest allegations, though it did say it was unaware of reports that Tom Longridge, the FAA official in charge of ASAP, had agreed with recommendations from two inspectors that American Eagle be removed from the program.

"The FAA has told American Eagle that its ASAP programs are not in jeopardy," a representative with the airline said.

As ANN reported last week, American's mainline operation discontinued participation in ASAP, the apparent victim of ever-present squabbling between its pilots union and airline management.

FMI: www.aa.com, www.faa.gov