September 26, 2000
All of the aircraft were in compliance for
required maintenance checks with the exception of two planes that are undergoing scheduled
overhauls, according to FAA spokesman Jerry Snyder.
America West will have to submit
records on those planes before they return to service, he said.
After turning up record-keeping
problems, the FAA on Aug. 25 ordered America West to audit maintenance records to ensure
required work was done and asked for a maintenance action plan. The deadline for filing
the plan was Monday.
An initial safety audit on 35 of the
company’s 130 planes was completed by a Sept. 6 deadline. That averted the FAA’s threat to
ground any plane not in compliance.
America West has since audited records
on the remainder of the fleet to see that the maintenance checks or airworthiness
directives have been done.
It will take the FAA one to two weeks
to review America West’s maintenance action plan and see if changes are needed, Snyder
said.
The federal agency’s audit of America
West’s maintenance practices, which started in July, revealed record-keeping flaws on the
airworthiness directives.
Airworthiness directives involve checks
of critical aircraft components or structural elements to determine if parts are worn or
cracked or if bolts are properly tightened.
FAA officials say the maintenance
records are a vital part of ensuring an airline is safely maintaining its planes.
The FAA’s review of America West and
eight other major carriers came after maintenance problems were discovered at Alaska
Airlines.
A January crash of an Alaska Air plane
near Los Angeles prompted a review of the Seattle-based carrier’s maintenance program.
| AmWest Does Well in Safety Audit Only 2 jets are in need of checkup by Peter Corbett, The Arizona Republic |
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| America West has completed a safety audit of its aircraft fleet and submitted a maintenance improvement plan to the Federal Aviation Administration. |