Whistleblowers Say They Were Fired After Voicing Safety
Concerns
A former Gulfstream Airlines lead
mechanic alleges routine aircraft inspections often were completed
only on paper, and pilots’ discrepancies signed off without
being repaired. And a former pilot alleges the airline disregarded
his safety concerns, and routinely alters pilot-recorded flight
times to meet FAA guidelines.
Gulfstream Airlines operates primarily as Continental
Connection, carrying 2,500 passengers daily to 20 locations in
Florida and the Bahamas. Although a flight landing in Tampa last
May suffered a nose-gear collapse, the airline maintains that it
has a good safety record.
Dan Brisco, former lead mechanic with the airline in 2006 and
2007, told WTVJ-6 "I think there’s a culture there throughout
the airline that we can get around the regulations."
When a reporter for the Miami television station asked Brisco if
"the airplanes flew in essence not within the regulations set by
the FAA?" the mechanic's answer was harsh, and to-the-point.
"Not even close to it," Brisco responded. "The aircraft would
come in for scheduled inspections and the paper would be completed
but the inspections would never be done. Or discrepancies that the
pilots would document would be signed off and they would never be
looked at."
"I started complaining to the supervisor and then eventually to
the vice president of maintenance that basically their records were
being falsified," he continued. "People were signing off work they
weren’t doing."
Gulfstream Airlines president Dave Hackett said Brisco "was
having safety issues with other employees who were concerned with
his very aggressive behavior and use of inappropriate language." He
was also cited for refusal to display his security badge and to
sign a disciplinary agreement, but Brisco said those charges were
fabricated.
Apparently some work, although questionable in nature, was
getting done. An inspection by the FAA earlier this year revealed
"automotive air conditioning compressors were installed in 27 Beech
aircraft operated by Gulfstream," creating "a low safety risk." The
part, "virtually identical to the FAA approved part," does not
"undergo a rigorous FAA quality control process to ensure they are
safe for use in aircraft."
"There is no difference in the compressors," Hackett said. "The
airline places the highest priority on operating safety," and no
passengers were ever in danger. The compressors have since been
replaced.
Kenny Edwards, former pilot for Gulfstream, was fired after
refusing to fly an aircraft with an inoperable collision avoidance
system, although not required. Edwards, previously refusing to fly
in a similar situation last December, balked due to a "close pass"
with another plane in poor weather on the previous flight leg.
Edwards called the dispatch supervisor, "And I said 'I
don’t feel comfortable in these conditions flying this
plane,’ and he said, 'Are you refusing direct orders from
your director of operations?' and I said, 'Well, if you're going to
put it that way, then yes I am, but I don't think it's safe.' He
said, 'You need to get in the cockpit, and you need to fly the
airplane now.'"
Hackett told WTVJ-6 Edwards' reasons for refusing to fly were
"nonsense." Edwards maintains that is a captain's decision, one
which was not honored by his boss. "I got a letter of termination
the next day," Edwards said. The Department of Labor determined
Gulfstream's firing of Edwards was justified, but he plans to
sue.
The whistle-blower report filed by Edwards has been re-opened by
the FAA after initially clearing Gulfstream. He told the FAA that
pilots were exceeding the Federal regulations on flight hours and
Gulfstream altered flight logs to remain "legal," and has
documentation to prove it.
The plane's log for one particular flight shows a push-back time
of 0730, while the Gulfstream's computer record logged 0755, a
discrepancy of 25 minutes. The company explained the difference was
due to a maintenance delay when the plane returned to the gate;
Edwards said it did not.
WTVJ-6 interviewed one current and three former Gulfstream
employees, who declined to be identified but testified that
"shaving" flight times in company records was routine to keep
flight crews legal. "They were doctoring the time of the legs that
had already been flown," one said.