American Airlines pilots union warns of “significant spike” in safety-related issues

In a warning to American Airways pilots, their union, the Allied Pilots Affiliation (APA), says it is seen “a major spike in safety- and maintenance-related issues in our operation.”

The union claims that among the many “problematic developments” it has been monitoring are instruments left in wheel wells, an rising variety of collisions between plane whereas they’re being towed, an rising variety of gadgets left within the security space close to jet bridges and “strain to return plane to line service to keep up on-time efficiency as a result of a scarcity of spares.”

CBS Information obtained photos of a hammer the APA says was present in an Airbus A319 wheel properly on March 25 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport earlier than Flight 1654 departed for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In line with the APA, the flight’s first officer found it throughout his pre-flight walkaround and notified the captain. The captain known as upkeep, who in flip inspected the plane and located a “Channellock type pliers and a screwdriver additionally situated contained in the wheel properly.” The union says there have been no open upkeep actions when the instrument was discovered.

In a message to union members Monday, APA President Capt. Ed Sicher says, “We met with (American’s) senior administration earlier this month to debate the operational hazards now we have recognized. … We now have administration’s full consideration. We secured administration’s dedication to contain the union earlier within the security danger evaluation (SRA) course of, and we’re likewise in search of a dedication that APA could have a seat on the desk for the whole high quality assurance course of. … Administration’s preliminary response to our issues was encouraging.”

American, which relies in Fort Price, Texas, mentioned, “Security at any airline is a shared mission and it is very true at American. Our sturdy security program is guided by our industry-leading security administration system” that  contains collaborating with regulators and its unions.

Whereas not commenting immediately on the problems raised by the APA, the Federal Aviation Administration mentioned it “requires all U.S. airways to have Security Administration Methods (SMS) by means of which they determine, monitor and handle potential hazards early on earlier than they grow to be critical issues.”

Complaints about mechanics being pressured to rapidly return planes to service aren’t new at American, as CBS Information reported in 2019.

United Airways is presently the topic of an FAA audit after a collection of regarding incidents that included a wheel falling off a Boeing 777 because it was taking off from San Francisco and an aerodynamic panel that flew off a 737 throughout a flight from San Francisco to Medford, Oregon. 

“Whereas United Airways is presently below public and authorities scrutiny, it might simply as simply be American Airways,” the APA memo says. 

The union security committee urged pilots to not rush or be intimidated “and do not be pressured into doing one thing that does not cross the ‘odor take a look at.’ Simply because it is authorized would not make it protected.”