Federal Lawsuit Accuses Airline Of Shooting The Messenger

A maintenance supervisor for Alaska Airlines has filed suit against the company, accusing executives of firing him because he wouldn't lie to the FAA.

Mansour Fadaie also accuses Alaska Airlines of discrimination and harassment. He says he was denied a promotion because he's a Muslim and an Iranian immigrant. Fadaie says he was ordered to tell FAA officials that maintenance crews had carried out tool inspections when, in reality, they had not.

It's the latest in a series of problems for Alaska Airlines, related to the January, 2000 crash of Flight 261. The aircraft fell into the sea after NTSB officials say a worn jackscrew controlling the jet's angle of attack failed in flight.

Fadaie's complaint says, when FAA inspectors came by the shop as part of the crash investigation, they asked about some custom tools made and used by the airline. The FAA had told Alaska Airlines to ensure the tools met the same specifications used by manufacturers who make such tools for a living. The suit says the airline promised to inspect the tools in August, 2000. But, according to Fadaie, the inspections were never carried out. Fadaie accuses the airline of not only failing to complete the inspection, but of asking another supervisor to tell the FAA the job had been done. Fadaie filed a complaint on the matter in October. He was fired in May.

FMI: www.alaskaair.com