American Airlines should determine why it missed problems with a jet engine that caught fire in 2007 and then make changes in its maintenance program, federal safety regulators said in a report issued Tuesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board also made several recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, saying it should review the history of similar incidents on the MD-80, the aircraft involved. The report formally addressed proposals from an April hearing on the incident.
Specifically, the NTSB said American should:
Evaluate its systems to determine why it didn’t identify “deficiencies” in its maintenance program related to the engine problem, and “discover the lack of compliance with company procedures.”
Make “necessary modifications” to its maintenance program.
American spokesman Tim Smith said the Fort Worth-based carrier was making those changes “before they even made their recommendations.”
In September 2007, an American MD-80 was forced into an emergency landing after one of its two engines caught fire departing St. Louis Lambert Airport. The plane returned safely, and there were no injuries among the 143 onboard.
According to testimony at the NTSB hearing, the engine had been difficult to restart before the incident, maintenance crews had replaced a starter valve several times, an air filter had been improperly maintained and mechanics had used the wrong tool, possibly a screwdriver, to restart the engine that later caught fire.
NTSB officials have criticized the pilot and first officer for interrupting emergency procedures to inform passengers about the problem, a move they said delayed the fuel shut-off.
The fire damaged the plane’s hydraulic system so badly that the rudder wasn’t working and the nose landing gear failed to extend during the first landing try. A second attempt was successful, although the plane was left heavily damaged.
Smith said American has changed its pilot training. The airline also changed maintenance procedures and replaced all air filters on its 275 MD-80s, he said.
The airline is also finishing the installation of new and modified start buttons on the MD-80 fleet.
The button can’t be pressed without the proper tools, Smith said.
The NTSB, in Tuesday’s report, also recommended that the FAA:
Verify that airlines’ emergency procedures “to the extent practicable” discourage pilots from engaging in “additional nonessential operational tasks, such as radio communications” while they’re running through their emergency checklists.
Determine whether changes should be made to warning systems.
Increase guidance to flight crews on how to deal with emergency evacuations.
Require Boeing, the maker of the aircraft, to establish a replacement schedule for the air filters in question.
“There’s none now,” American’s Smith said of guidelines for replacing the filters.
Source :AAP
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May 20, 2009 at 6:17 am