$2.5 Million In Civil Penalties For FAR Violations

The FAA wants to assess civil penalties totaling $2.5 million against Atlantic Coast Airlines and United Airlines for allegedly violating Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). The FAA alleges both airlines failed to follow required maintenance actions on specific aircraft, and further operated those aircraft when they were not in compliance with regulations.

The FAA proposes to assess a civil penalty of $1.5 million against Atlantic Coast Airlines (now doing business as Independence Air) for operating several of its aircraft without performing mandatory inspections of engines, airframes and other components.

Atlantic Coast allegedly failed to: maintain its aircraft according to the airline’s FAA-approved continuous airworthiness maintenance program and the limits set out in its operations specifications; have a properly functioning inspection program for its aircraft; and keeping appropriate maintenance records on its aircraft. It also operated those aircraft when they were not in compliance with regulations.

The airline has taken immediate remedial steps to comply with maintenance, inspection and record-keeping requirements. The FAA says it will closely monitor the airline’s progress to ensure its operations comply fully with federal regulations

The FAA has also proposed a civil penalty of $1 million against United for operating a B-777 aircraft on about 263 flights when it allegedly was not in compliance with regulations.

The FAA alleges that the emergency escape slides were unusable on those flights, based on a ramp check of the aircraft by FAA inspectors at Denver International Airport in November 2001.  During this inspection, inspectors discovered a "Remove Before Flight" warning streamer visible in the window-view of an emergency escape slide. It was determined that a safety maintenance pin was installed in the escape slide, rendering it unusable in the event of an evacuation. Further investigation revealed that all eight doors on the B-777 had safety pins installed in the escape slide packs and would have been unusable in an emergency.

FMI: www.faa.gov