The Department of Transportation’s inspector general has cited several issues with maintenance at American Airlines that resulted in flight by unairworthy aircraft.
DOT Report: American Airlines Flew Unairworthy Aircraft
Inspector general alleges maintenance issues at American Airlines have resulted in unairworthy aircraft.
Key Takeaways:
- A Department of Transportation Inspector General report identified multiple instances where American Airlines flew unairworthy aircraft due to maintenance issues, such as a broken emergency slide and missing engine parts.
- The report criticized the FAA for insufficient oversight, stating it lacked effective controls to evaluate American Airlines' maintenance risk assessment and mitigation through its safety management system.
- FAA inspectors were found to not consistently evaluate the airline's risk assessments, partly due to a lack of comprehensive training and tools for overseeing Safety Management Systems, and sometimes prematurely closed compliance actions.
- The report includes recommendations to improve safety compliance, with the FAA and American Airlines committing to work together to develop new training and refine safety controls.
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