Faulty Repairs Among Issues Cited By Inspectors

Throughout the continuing saga of the 44-day-old AMFA walkout against Northwest Airlines, the carrier has claimed to have continued their operations "business as usual," with fully trained and licensed replacement personnel filling in for the striking workers. However, newly released FAA reports cast doubt on those assertions.

The FAA inspection reports, obtained by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and reviewed by two independent aviation experts, tell tales of inadequate training among replacement workers, staffing issues, and outright mistakes made in aircraft maintenance and repairs.

Reported incidents include:

• A team of managers and replacements in New York incorrectly inspected and repaired an engine bade top. An FAA inspector witnessing the event said Northwest decided to fly the airplane after they were told of the improper repair, as "the blade was scheduled for removal within the next 50 flight hours."
• Mechanics failed to spot a dead bird in an engine intake of a plane about to depart Memphis. A coworker spotted it during his preflight walk-around.
• Replacement workers in Philadelphia needed all night to replace a brake on an airliner, a job that reportedly takes experienced mechanics less than three hours.
• A replacement mechanic who had just completed training in Indianapolis did not know how to look up a part in the airline's automated system.

Northwest declined to discuss the more than 100 reports obtained by the Star Tribune, and told the newspaper the company felt it was inappropriate for it to comment on FAA documents.

"Northwest remains confident in the quality of its ongoing maintenance program. Our operation continues to run normally," a Northwest spokesperson said. The company has acknowledged "refresher training" has been conducted for some personnel, initiated after an FAA inquiry into records-keeping practices and maintenance documentation at the airline.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said the agency does not publicly comment on a particular airline's compliance with regulations. She did, however, state that many inspection reports found no fault with the airline, and issues that were cited in other reports were promptly corrected by Northwest.

Union leaders for the 4,200 striking members of AMFA maintain the FAA reports support their position that the airlines's reliance on replacement mechanics has potentially put those travelling on Northwest planes at risk.

"These records provide examples that are even worse than we imagined," said John Glynn, maintenance standards coordinator for the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.

Northwest has used 1,200 replacement workers to fill in for those positions vacated by members of AMFA, as well as a few hundred managers and outside vendors. The FAA raised the number of inspectors assigned to Northwest from 53 to more than 80 after the strike began, to conduct increased spot-inspections.

In a statement released Sunday, Northwest said all repairs handled by replacement workers have been completed in accordance with maintenance procedures outlined by the airplane manufacturers, and by the airline itself.

"None of the items provided by the Star Tribune involved safety of flight issues," the statement said.

FMI: www.nwa.com, www.amfa.org, www.faa.gov