Paperwork Issue Turns Into Question About Pilot Certification

There were a lot of unhappy passengers stuck this weekend at several Midwestern airports... as for the second weekend in a row, the FAA grounded the Smyrna, TN-based regional carrier RegionsAir.

RegionsAir, which flies 19-seat Jetstream 32 turboprops for American Airlines and Continental Airlines, was also grounded last weekend, over a dispute regarding wording in the company's training manual. After three days, the airline resumed service last Monday... only to be grounded again Thursday afternoon.

"We have been in discussions with the FAA today and will honor the requests outlined in the consent order with the intentions of satisfying any and all requested modifications to our Line Check Airman training and certification program," Nathan Vallier, RegionsAir’s director of sales and marketing, said Thursday. "Effective at 4:36 pm (Thursday), all flights were canceled for the remainder of today as part of the order. We hope for a return to air service once these items have been satisfied and agreed upon by the FAA."

FAA spokesperson Laura Brown told the Southeast Missourian the latest delay comes after the agency discovered an unspecified number of pilots at RegionsAir weren't properly certified.

"We determined that the line check airmen, the pilots who instruct and check out other pilots, were not properly trained themselves," Brown said.

The grounding affects American Connection flights out of St. Louis' Lambert Field to nine cities in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Continental Connection flights to three cities in West Virginia were also affected.

Both airlines were working to rebook affected passengers on alternate flights. As for when RegionsAir will be back in the air... that's still up in the air.

FMI: www.regionsair.com