Aviation lunacy isn’t just limited to the TSA. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that United airlines may face a fine of up to $1.5 million for failure to replace a nut on 3 engines in 1999. Why is this lunacy?
- If there’s a safety issue at United, it’s 3 years old. This suggests FAA isn’t doing a very good job at finding and resolving current problems.
- There were no accidents or engine failures as a result of the nut. United replaced them. The paperwork is in order.
United should have replaced the nut with a stronger one as dictated by the FAA. Maybe they should have done it faster. But this is three years old and not a current safety problem.
Why is the FAA examining such old records? Why aren’t they more concerned with guaranteeing current safety? Why is the FAA sending off vigorous press releases — when apparently they need to be spending their time clearing up a three year backlog reviewing paperwork? We want answers!
