Oversight of Maintenance & Repair Facility Practices Under Examination

Air Safety Week, Sept 6, 1999

The impression after a day of such discussions is one of a grim future. Here is an industry where the number of aircraft is projected to grow while pilot and mechanic shortages worsen and cost-cutting pressures continue. Contracting-out and contract workers may be manifestations of these larger trends as airlines search for ways to cope.

Whether or not these practices are leading to subtle erosion of safety is the concern. On this point, the Board seems determined to see for itself. Dr. Vern Ellingstad, director of the safety board's R&D office, said "the real gist" of the repair facility oversight project will be on-site inspections over the next few months by the NTSB. >> NTSB, tel. 202/314-6143; Crotty, tel. 703/569-4431; Hiles, tel. 412/472-7829; Burnett, tel. 501/745-2480 <<

Oversight of Repair Station Practices Various views:

* The Concern from the Safety Board

"Competitive market pressures in the airline business have resulted in more air carriers, both large and small, who out-source maintenance to Part 145 repair stations...These industry trends...have greatly complicated the oversight of aircraft maintenance..."

Robert Francis Vice Chairman, NTSB

* An airline view

"I have a good measure to make sure we're getting equal quality work" from outside repair stations.

Tony Quillen, director of heavy maintenance Southwest Airlines

* An independent inspector's view

"The top ten organizations are well-tuned. They have safety and training programs in place. But for the smaller operators and stations, this is where I see the real problems."

Bart Crotty International DAR Aviation Services, Inc.

* A union concern

"We've seen a fair amount of problems...(the) bottom line to all this is not that of unions but of having more FAA Certificated Technicians in the repair stations and more training for both the Certified and Non-Certified individuals accomplishing the tasks."

Jay Hiles International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)

A Causal Relationship?

During the period in which out-sourcing increased, the number of Service Difficulty Reports (SDR) citing 'inadequate quality' also increased substantially:

5-Year Time Period     Number of SDR's
1989-1993              106
1994-1998              631
Source: ASW Contributing Editor Dr. Alex Richman, from SDR database

The Impact of Improper/Rushed Maintenance

Jan. 7, 1992: Delta Air Lines [DAL] 737-200. Right engine separate from the wing at 200 ft. during climb after takeoff. Crew conducted landing, no injuries among 49 aboard. Subsequent investigation revealed a pre-existing fatigue crack of the aft cone bolt, a result of improper maintenance in which lubricant inadvertently was introduced onto the conical surface of the cone bolt.

Aug. 31, 1999: Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas (LAPA) 737-200. No. 1 engine caught fire during attempted takeoff at Buenos Aires. From a height of 2 ft. the airplane settled back onto the runway, overran the airport boundary, crashed through eight cars on a boundary road and ploughed to a stop in a golf course. Preliminary estimate: nearly 70 of 115 on board killed, 1 ground fatality. Initial reports indicate three technicians were working to resolve a problem with the No. 1 engine, but after losing four positions for takeoff, the decision was made to depart. Status of repair (complete/unfinished) not known.

Source: NTSB, Aircraft Accident Digest