Fine Is Largest Ever Levied By The Agency
The FAA has proposed a $24.2 million civil penalty against
American Airlines Inc. for failing to correctly follow an
Airworthiness Directive involving the maintenance of its McDonnell
Douglas MD-80 aircraft. This civil penalty is the largest ever
proposed by the FAA.
“We put rules and regulations in place to keep the flying
public safe,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
“We expect operators to perform inspections and conduct
regular and required maintenance in order to prevent safety issues.
There can be no compromises when it comes to safety.”
The FAA alleges American did not follow steps outlined in a 2006
Airworthiness Directive requiring operators to inspect wire bundles
located in the wheel wells of MD-80 aircraft. The Airworthiness
Directive, AD 2006-15-15, required a one-time general visual
inspection by March 5, 2008 for chafing or signs of arcing of the
wire bundle for the auxiliary hydraulic pump. It also required
operators to perform corrective actions in accordance with the
instructions of the applicable manufacturer’s Service
Bulletin.
The purpose of the Airworthiness Directive was to prevent the
shorting of wires or arcing at the auxiliary hydraulic pump, which
could result in loss of auxiliary hydraulic power or a fire in the
wheel well of the aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive also sought
to reduce the potential of an ignition source adjacent to the fuel
tanks, which, in combination with the flammable vapors, could
result in a fuel tank explosion.
The FAA first detected the violations on March 25, 2008, during
an inspection of two aircraft. The FAA informed American’s
management that the aircraft did not comply with the AD, prompting
a series of re-inspections and additional maintenance work that
occurred during the following two weeks. On March 26, after
American performed additional maintenance on its MD-80 fleet, the
FAA inspected eight aircraft at American’s Tulsa maintenance
base and found that seven did not comply with the Airworthiness
Directive. On April 7, the FAA inspected another nine MD-80
aircraft at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and found that
eight of them still did not comply with the AD. A tenth aircraft
inspected by American mechanics also did not comply. On April 8,
American began grounding its MD-80 fleet to conduct new inspections
and redo work as necessary.
The FAA subsequently determined that 286 of the airline’s
MD-80s were operated on a combined 14,278 passenger flights while
the aircraft were not in compliance with Federal Regulations.
American ultimately completed the work required by the 2006
Airworthiness Directive.
Over the last year and a half, FAA safety officials have
reported progress in working with American Airlines to help improve
the airline’s maintenance culture. The FAA is committed to
continuing that work.
American has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s civil
penalty letter to respond to the agency.