In response to suspicion of missed inspections, the FAA is arguing that they are prioritizing needed checks based on “risk analyses” and no critical inspections were missed. FAA spokesperson Diane Spitaliere states, “It is our position that the critical safety issues have been dealt with and are always dealt with first. Some of the less critical ones may not have been accomplished, but we’re currently working to accomplish them.”
The renewed interest in the FAA missed inspections come in the wake of the tragic crash of Continental Express Flight 3407 on February 12th.
The missed inspections are being reported by a government watchdog. They state that the FAA has missed safety inspections at major airlines and that some of the inspections were already two years overdue. Calvin Scovel, the Transportation Department’s inspector general, states, “We have found that these missed inspections were in critical maintenance areas.” Scovel had previously mentioned missed inspections at Southwest.
Source: AP
Amazingly all the debris and oil slick that were found in the middle of the Atlantic are reportedly not from Air France flight 447. It is uncertain at this time what they might be from, but the debris doesn’t match what would be on the airliner and the amount of oil found doesn’t match what the jet would be carrying.
This is another reminder that we really do not know what happened to this flight. Seems like there are many different opinions of what could have happened and now that we don’t even know where it went down, the mystery thickens. At this point I think we can only wait for the investigators to do their job and send our thoughts to the families who lost loved ones.
More from the Washington Post
Aviacsa Boeing 737-200 at McCarran Int'l Airport in Las Vegas
Due to reports of irregularities of Aviacsa’s airline maintenance, Mexico has demanded no more of their planes fly and have 60 days to fix any issues. The airline has a fleet of 26 planes, serving 17 cities, including Las Vegas.
The airline is defending themselves saying the problems were only “cosmetic — opaque logos, dull lights and scratches on the wings.”
The Transportation and Communications Department however stated that the issues found “put passengers at risk,” and it would be odd for a government to shut down an airline due to faded logos. The fact that 21 of their planes are Boeing 737-200’s and the others are Boeing 737-300 (as of Sept 2008), they are not new planes and could likely have other issues.
Source: AP Image: gTarded
Continental Airlines Boeing 737 in Mexico
Continental Airlines is reporting that the H1N1 (or “Swine Flu”) devastated their flights between the US and Mexico for May 2009. Continental could see a 19% fall in revenue per available seat mile in May and a 13% decline in April.
The H1N1 media spree has seemed to cause a lot more than just awareness. The CDC removed the travel advisory to Mexico in mid-May.
Source: Airline Biz Blog Image: World Aviation Group
A dramatic view of the Grand Tetons immediately after stepping out of door 1L on an American Airlines Boeing 757-200 at Jackson Hole Airport (JAC/KJAC) in Wyoming.
The 57 year old pilot was supposed to be taking 204 passengers from London’s Heathrow to Chicago yesterday on flight AA87. Before the flight could take off, security staff alerted police who administered a breathalyzer that the pilot failed. The flight was delayed, but was able to take off after finding a replacement pilot.
Source: MSNBC Image: matt.hintsa