Posted on 04/09/2008 5:53:16 PM PDT by cardinal4
CHICAGO (Reuters) - American Airlines canceled almost 1,100 flights, or nearly half its schedule, on Wednesday to reinspect aircraft, a disruption that affected about 100,000 passengers and triggered chaos at the busiest U.S. airports.
The airline said it expects about 900 cancellations on Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at artoriuscastus.blogspot.com ...
What an awful mess. I am so glad I have no flights planned.
I’ll bet Chicago Ohare had an easy day, thats half the traffic into ORD..
AIRLINE MISERY MAY CONTINUE THROUGH JUNE; NEW ROUND OF INSPECTIONS
Expects 900 Cancellations Thursday
100,000+ passengers affected
Growing disarray
What in the blue hell is going on with AA?
It’s AA’s turn now, these inspections wont end with them..
Just curious. Have the inspection problems, whatever they are, been serious safety issuea?
Your guess is as good as mine. This news is surprising to me as well. I thought AA took care of this two weeks ago..
Here’s the scoop as best as I can tell...
Wiring bundles in the wings to the landing gear areas were subjected to being REBUNDLED and reattached with those plastic wire wrap thingys in an FAA advisory some weeks ago. This was supposed to add additional wrapping points to reduce and eliminate vibration wear.
AA and other carriers, Delta for one, did it. Then the FAA inspected the work and found some of the work wasn’t good enough. I don’t know if FAA had a very specific rework protocol for the airlines to follow or not.
Now the FAA is telling the companies to go back and do it again IF they found any issues with what the FAA actually wanted them to do...
That’s what I got off the local CHicago radio today...
G
But what’s the deal? What’s so immediate and emergent that they have to curtail so much of their fleet, that wasn’t any big deal this time last month?
Maybe the FAA inspectors who screwed everyone with the passing grade at Southwest - and Southwest going, “Cool” — maybe now the FAA inspectors are acting like bad a$$#$ cracking the whip early?
Imagine what would happen if an airline just inspected one plane at a time and one of those in service suffered a mishap?
DAN CATERINICCHIA, AP Business Writer
Wed Apr 9, 6:07 PM ET
WASHINGTON - American Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights Wednesday, stranding about 100,000 people and adding to flights grounded a day earlier, as it inspected wiring on some of its jets that could cause a short or even a fire. Airline executives said the safety of passengers was never in jeopardy. It was American's second bout with mass cancellations in less than two weeks for failing to meet rules set by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Some questions and answers about the groundings:
Q: What prompted the FAA to issue the order on the MD-80 wiring bundles?
A: Reports of shorted wires, evidence of worn-down power cables, and fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer, Boeing Co. The airworthiness directive carried an effective date of Sept. 5, 2006, and airlines had 18 months to comply.
Q: What could happen if the wires shorted out?
A: Besides the loss of auxiliary hydraulic power, a fire in the wheel well of the airplane could be sparked by a short from the wires. The actions required by the government also are intended to reduce the possibility of fire or a fuel tank explosion that would destroy the plane, according to the FAA.
Q: Why were airlines given 18 months to comply?
A: Officials assessed the risks that the wires posed, and in the case of those that are near, but not inside a fuel tank, they determined that carriers would have 18 months, said FAA spokesman Les Dorr. Two things are required for an explosion — fire and the proper mix of fuel and air — and the wire bundles inspected in the MD-80s were not in a position where an explosion was likely, he added.
Q: Why didn't the airlines comply by the deadline?
A: Assuming the airlines received and understood the FAA order, "the likely answer is they believed they didn't have to," said Daniel Petree, dean of the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. In general, businesses don't like to take on extra costs "if there is no payoff for them in doing it."
The carriers likely also assessed the risks to their fleet and weighed that against disrupting service on planes that already yield little revenue per seat.
Brian Stirm, director of aircraft maintenance at Purdue University's aviation technology department, added that 18 months was "more than adequate time to do a visual inspection." Even untrained mechanics and inspectors could identify chafing, which is the "wire bundle rubbing on something else," he added.
Q: What did it cost to comply, and how many aircraft were affected?
A: More than 1,000 airplanes worldwide were affected, including an estimated 732 in the U.S. Based on the required parts and labor time, the FAA estimated the cost to U.S. operators would be up to $1,304 per airplane.
While that figure may seem small, the FAA did not factor in revenue lost to the airlines if the planes are taken out of service, Petree said — something the carriers likely did. Removing an aircraft for 12 hours could mean losing up to five trips, and having to compensate passengers for cancellations and missed connections with hotel rooms and other perks, he said.
Q: Didn't wiring problems lead to the explosion and crash of TWA Flight 800 that killed all 230 people aboard in July 1996?
A: Yes, but the explosion in the fuel tank of that plane, a Boeing 747, most likely came through a different wiring system, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Air-conditioning units underneath the fuel tanks also are believed to have heated the vapors inside the tank, which made them more vulnerable to explosion.
I wonder if there isn’t another reason for all these groundings? Something from the intelligence pipeline done this way as to not cause alarm.
Could be, but I bet the Feds are just mad at the airlines for not doing the inspections. I’m surprised the FAA hasn’t already required all airlines to install devices to remove oxygen from fuel tanks.
I suspect you are right.
The airlines are feeling the squeeze right now. Jet fuel is more expensive than ever, and I doubt if the MD-80 is very efficient compared to other, newer aircraft. I know they are taking a hit in the press, but I suspect the airlines may be relieved to cancel some of their less lucrative flights. They save a bundle if they can merge two half-full flights into one, and if they can blame the FAA, it takes some of the PR sting out of the situation.
Seems strange that a $1000 fix could mean mothballing a multi-million dollar plane, but it's starting to shape up that way.
I have to feel sorry for Boeing, too, because they appear to have inherited another lemon. They didn't design or build these planes, but they bought the company that did, and now it's another black eye for their safety record.
Actually, the MD-80 has turned out to be quite the workhorse..
Ping to #10.
Gosh you think.I heard this guy explain about the tie for the wires must be facing in the same directions but as regular people we would not understand.Yea sure.What are they looking for?
I have been shorting airline stocks for years. It has been a good strategy.
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