Wed, Apr 02, 2008
52-Plane Fleet Grounded Until Fire Suppression System
Reviewed
The FAA crackdown on airline maintenance and record keeping has
prompted yet another carrier to pull its planes, to recheck the
records. United Airlines announced Thursday customers traveling on
April 2, 2008 on United's Boeing 777 aircraft may experience flight
delays or cancellations as a result of a functional check being
performed on the aircraft.
"As part of a regular review of maintenance records, the company
discovered that the functional test that checks the firing system
on one of the five bottles in the cargo fire suppression system on
the Boeing 777 was not performed, and this was voluntarily
disclosed to the FAA," said the airline. "United is in the process
of checking this part of the system. This system is regularly
tested as part of the pre-flight safety checks."
United stressed the checks are related to compliance, and not an
imminent safety issue... but until the checks are verified, United
will not operate any of its 52 777s.
"We apologize for any inconvenience and ask customers to check
their flight status on united.com before leaving for the airport.
United is currently working to provide additional aircraft where
available and is accommodating customers on other flights and other
airlines."
In the weeks since the FAA announced its massive safety audit of
airline maintenance practices, carriers including Southwest,
American, and Delta have pulled planes from their mainline fleets
to check for compliance with mandatory safety procedures.
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