FAA needs to improve oversight of aircraft maintenance, report says
LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration does not adequately oversee the growing number of outside contractors repairing airplanes, the Transportation Department''s inspector general said in a report released Thursday.
At 18 of 21 repair stations checked by government investigators, contract mechanics used incorrect aircraft parts and improperly calibrated tools, and had outdated manuals.
"The vulnerabilities all relate to a lack of effective FAA oversight that needs to be improved," the report said.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said the agency agrees with the findings. However, she stressed the report does not say passengers are in any danger.
"There''s no data to support a safety issue," she said.
US Airways used an outside contractor to maintain the commuter plane that crashed on takeoff at North Carolina''s Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in January, killing all 21 aboard.
The ongoing investigation that followed found a mechanic improperly set turnbuckles, which control tension on elevator control cables. If a cable is too slack, the pilot does not have full control of the elevator, a tail flap that moves up and down and causes the plane to climb or dive.
The inspector general began the investigation of maintenance outsourcing a year before the crash, but the Charlotte accident investigation findings have intensified calls for the FAA to increase its oversight.
The inspector general noted that major airlines, struggling to survive, are looking to trim costs by outsourcing maintenance.
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