Follows Incident Involving Loose Stabilizer Bolts In MD-80 Airplane

The FAA has intensified its focus on flight operations and maintenance at Allegiant Airlines following an incident that involved loose stabilizer bolts that led to an aborted takeoff in August.

In that incident, pilots were unable to control an MD-80 as it rolled down the runway for takeoff. The plane's nose came off the runway at about 120 knots, and the pilots were unable to keep the nose down. An inspection found that loose elevator bolts were not properly locked into place. Allegiant said it inspected all of the MD-80s in its fleet, and found them to be in "working order," according to a report from Bloomberg Business.

But documents obtained by Bloomberg showed that Allegiant had found other unsecured bolts on additional airplanes. Allegiant said that they were not the same component that had been involved in the August 17 incident, but the FAA has increased its oversight of the airline as a result.

Allegiant said in an email to Bloomberg Business that it had inspected its elevator boost actuator fleet-wide, and made additional repairs as necessary. They were properly logged and reported. FAA rules do not require immediate reporting of such repairs, which are entered into a database and submitted quarterly to the agency.

The FAA said another incident in July related to a low-fuel emergency on an Allegiant airliner contributed to its increased focus on the carrier.

FMI: www.faa.gov