Wed, Apr 02, 2008
Outsourced Maintenance To Blame... Or Airbus?
The Chicago Tribune reports United Airlines has found crossed
landing-gear wires which may have interfered with anti-skid systems
in two recent incidents involving Airbus A320 airliners. The
inspections were part of a recent FAA audit of maintenance
operations at 118 US airlines, ordered after the recent issue with
missed fatigue-crack inspections on Southwest Airlines 737s.
In United's case, one A320 veered from a runway into a snow bank
February 25 at Jackson Hole, WY, as ANN reported. The airplane
came to rest on its landing gear at about a 90 degree angle to the
runway in snow about three feet deep. An initial examination of the
aircraft revealed no readily visible signs of structural damage or
evidence of fire.
Another A320 veered off a runway and hit airport lights October
9, 2007 after landing at Chicago's O'Hare International. No one was
seriously injured in either incident.
Bloomberg reports the National Transportation Safety Board and
officials with United are now working to answer a question which
will certainly prove embarrassing to someone -- was the
wiring mistake was made by mechanics, or the factory?
Airbus issued a preemptive statement. In an e-mail, spokesman
Clay McConnell said the manufacturer recommends maintenance
procedures that include "...a process to verify that the wiring is
properly aligned. We are confident that adherence to the Airbus
procedures will ensure that no aircraft re-enters service with
improperly aligned wiring."
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