Tue, Sep 13, 2005
Jet With 62 Passengers Onboard Experienced Engine, Landing Gear
Problems
From the moment the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association
chose to strike against Northwest Airlines, technicians walking the
picket line have quietly -- but openly -- questioned whether the
replacement mechanics brought in to take their place would be able
to handle the responsibility of keeping the oldest fleet among
major US carriers operating.
Some of those voices may be louder after a Northwest airliner
flying from Memphis, TN to Minneapolis, MN was forced to divert to
St. Louis's Lambert International Airport on Saturday. The DC-9
(file photo of type, above) experienced loss of power in one of its
two engines, according to a statement by Lambert Operations
Specialist Eric Patton to the Associated Press.
The problems didn't stop there, however. The jet also
experienced difficulties with extending its nose gear, forcing the
crew to crank the gear down manually.
While the procedure worked as exactly as it was supposed to and
the plane landed safely, the 62 passengers onboard were
nevertheless told to assume crash positions during landing -- just
in case. Many of those passengers questioned if the
incidents might have been related to the strike, according to the
AP.
However, a spokesman
for the striking mechanics union was quick to diffuse the
innuendo, saying it would be nearly impossible to determine if
the problems were related to the Northwest's use of replacement
mechanics.
"It would be very easy for me to tell you, 'Oh yeah, it was a
mistake by one of these replacement workers,' said Steve
MacFarlane, assistant national director of AMFA. "But the fact is,
it might have been, and then again it might not."
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