Agency Won't Fine City Or Contractors

Federal Aviation Administration inspectors have found numerous violations by the Chicago Department of Aviation, the O'Hare Modernization Program and several contractors working on an expansion of O'Hare International Airport.

FAA documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune under the Freedom of Information Act revealed many potentially hazardous errors that occurred between June and October 2006 -- including construction equipment blocking runway safety areas and severed power cables that knocked out navigation aids.

In one incident, work crews either cut or crushed a utility line that powered the wind shear warning system between Runways 9 Left and 9 Right, leaving it on back-up batteries. When FAA technicians arrived to fix the problem, they found lights intended to warn pilots of a 150-foot obstruction were also inoperable.

Other violations ranged from construction crews failing to ensure that mud and dirt were promptly removed from aircraft taxiways to incidents where construction equipment and material were stored in safety zones at the ends of runways, according to the Tribune.

"What occurred is unacceptable and it is not going to be tolerated," said Rosemarie Andolino, executive director of O'Hare's $15 billion expansion project.

Ground radar and runway lighting systems were compromised when cables were destroyed by construction equipment, the FAA said.

Most worrisome is the fact these were not isolated incidents. O'Hare contractors accidentally cut power cables, resulting in equipment failures for navigation, weather, communications and safety-related systems twice on June 19 -- and again on June 23, July 10... and October 4, 13 and 27, 2006, according to FAA records.

The FAA, which fined neither the city nor its contractors, said there was no immediate threat to passenger safety in any of the incidents. After a June 23, 2006, construction inspection, the FAA did issue a stern letter of warning to Chicago Aviation Commissioner Nuria Fernandez, however.

The letter listed 17 violations and said the city Aviation Department "does not have sufficient and qualified personnel" to satisfy FAA requirements, and the city "is not equipping personnel with sufficient resources" to comply with all regulations.

The mistakes have prompted an increase in inspections and daily communication between local and federal authorities in an attempt to safeguard against future problems as work intensifies on the massive project.

"The feeling is that the city is definitely working to correct the situation," said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. "But we are watching very closely to maintain safety on the airfield."

Fernandez notes the violations occurred during the first year of major construction on the runway expansion project.

"This is the largest airport construction project in the world, also happening at the world's second-busiest airport. Things are prone to happen, but I was very confident we could deal with them, and we did," Fernandez said.

But the FAA documents show that city officials were sometimes slow to address problems and participate in safety meetings called by the FAA.

A memo dated July 19 from Tricia Halpin, an FAA airports certification safety inspector, to O'Hare Chief Operating Officer David Ochal complained no one from O'Hare's operations staff attended a specific meeting to address safety issues during the various stages of construction during the project.

"Several issues that have operational impact [were] discussed, however, Operations was not present," Halpin wrote. "We believe it is critical that Operations attends these meetings."

This was actually the second reprimand from Halpin to Aviation Department operations staff.

"I am sure you understand that a project of this magnitude requires commitment, cooperation and communication between all parties," Halpin wrote.

FMI: www.ohare.com