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First, KIRO Team 7 Investigators exposed how Boeing-made passenger jets are routinely sent to third world countries to get repaired.
Now, Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne uncovers a long list of mechanical, safety and training procedure "discrepancies" related to some of those foreign shops.
Halsne recently traveled to El Salvador to investigate a jet maintenance and repair facility that's contracted by Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and US Airways to help keep their fleets flying. It turns out - Federal Aviation Administration inspectors had been there too - and documented plenty of trouble.
Just inside the hangars at Aeroman's jet repair operation near San Salvador, KIRO Team 7 Investigators videotaped mechanics, many of whom make around $2 an hour, tearing apart engines, replacing rivets and inspecting fuselage skins for tiny cracks.
Employees, who spoke on the condition we protect their identities, say Aeroman supervisors force mechanics to cut corners, to speed up the work, creating a potentially dangerous situation.
Halsne to Worker via an interpreter: "In his opinion, could that pressure lead to a safety problem?"
Interpreter: "Si. Yes. There it - yes - mucho presión. Much pressure. He says working at Aeroman, you work under pressure all the time."
Aeroman's CEO, Ernesto Ruiz tell us his non-unionized Central American fix-it center is on par with US based facilities. Complaints to the contrary, he says, are more about politics, than reality.
Ruiz says, “The unions are doing their jobs. They’re worried.”
But Aeroman is far from perfect when it comes to following rules set up by the Federal Aviation Administration. Because US airlines are using Aeroman for repairs, US law requires an annual inspection. We found they don’t occur quite that often.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, KIRO Team 7 Investigators acquired the latest FAA "certification inspection" for Aeroman, dated April, 26, 2010.
There were 99 discrepancies or technical violations, including:
- On-the-Job training being provided by individuals that have never performed the task.
- Parts were found uncontrolled in boxes and became untraceable AND
- Inspectors found a severely damaged electrostatic discharge mat being used with holes burned through it.
We asked former FAA division director for aircraft maintenance, Dave Cann, to review Aeroman's latest inspection.
“The number, in and of itself, the number of findings isn't the significant issue. It's the significance of the findings that count.”
Cann says most of the findings in Aeroman’s last FAA inspection are routine errors that have little to do with the safety of the flying public. However, he did note a level of seriousness for a certain series of inspector notations regarding something called “tooling equivalency”, telling Team 7 Investigators “That's important when determining the airworthiness of the aircraft.”
The equivalent tooling rules are simple: Repair shops need to use equipment, tools, and machines that meet either Boeing or Airbus's exact specifications. Aeroman was caught using uninspected "locally manufactured tools."
The January 2000 fatal crash of Alaska flight 261 is an example of how an equivalent tooling violation might lead to disastrous consequences. According to final accident reports, Alaska Airlines fabricated a piece of the failed jackscrew in a machine that did not meet Boeing specifications.
At Aeroman, the FAA reports says inspectors found local tools being used to test emergency oxygen supplies and create a part for emergency slides. According to follow up report, corrections have been made.
Cann says that's how the system is supposed to work, but some flaws remain when it comes to visiting out of country maintenance shops - like no surprise inspections.
“You have to remember the FAA is a part of the United States government, so they have to get permission, like any other foreign official, to go in and do their inspections, so I guess there are some unique differences.”
A bill, pending in Congress right now, would double the FAA inspections at foreign jet repair places that cater to US air carriers. The legislation would also require drug testing of mechanics even if they work in places like El Salvador, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei.
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