FAA safety inspectors have and continue to observe employee and vendor employee errors in the accomplishment of aircraft maintenance, inspection and servicing tasks. Observations such as:
a) A Northwest employed line maintenance manager not able to comply with an Airbus A320 engine run checklist. He was not able to locate required switches on the aircraft instrument panel. In questioning the manager, it was learned he had never performed an engine run on a live A320 aircraft. He had only recently been trained in a simulator. This reporting inspector suggested he get help and this suggestion was initially ignored. After a few more minutes of struggling, the manager did call for help. The engine was started, however, the initial manager forgot to turn on the number 2 engine fuel pump switches. A fault was on the panel.
B) Observed a vendor, Globe Services, complete lavatory servicing on a Northwest Boeing B757-300, an ETOPS qualified aircraft. The lavatory servicing panel had a Northwest bright orange deferral sticker on it. This indicates the lavatory is inoperative and should not be serviced. The vendor had just completed servicing both lavatories. This reporting inspector questioned the two servicing individuals and their supervisor and neither of the three knew the meaning of the orange color deferral sticker. It was also learned that this was the second day either of these two persons had been on an airport and serviced aircraft lavatories. Their training was done by the vendor and consisted of a video supplied by Northwest Airlines. Protective face masks were not used during the servicing operation. Northwest maintenance and ground servicing management persons were called. The maintenance manager was not sure what to do and it was suggested to him that the lavatory needed to be drained and if there was a leak, then a leak check was necessary. He was informed to check the Northwest procedure for an inoperative lavatory. The must ensure no fluid leaked into the structure of the aircraft. Northwest ground service management informed they would have their management people do training today. They had been called.
Later that day, this inspector observed Northwest management observing lavatory servicing on a DC9 aircraft. The vendor supervisor that was involved earlier was servicing the lavatory. He had no gloves or face mask on, as required by Northwest procedure for handling hazardous human body fluids. The Northwest manager was standing there watching this. This FAA inspector pointed out to the Northwest manager that masks and gloves were not being used. The manager questioned if that was necessary. I informed it was their procedure.
c) Northwest DC10 aircraft arrival from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. Aircraft arrived into Minneapolis with a broken lavatory waste duct which allowed human waste to spill into the aircraft's electrical equipment bay. This bay contains the aircraft flight and navigational appliances and waste contaminates were observed spilled out on these components. When FAA questioned the Northwest maintenance manager about clean up, he was told that it came in this way from Amsterdam with no pilot write-ups so there was no reason it could not depart this way to Honolulu. FAA stepped in and ensured aircraft was cleaned and checked out before a next flight.
d) Northwest Airlines DC10 aircraft in hangar maintenance for fuel quantity discrepancy. Right hand wing fuel tank was opened for repairs. Tank was closed up without having a Northwest required inspection for an "OK to Close" prior to closing up the tank. No Northwest employee or vendor employee assured this inspection was done before the tank was closed up. After completion and while management reviewed the work documents, it was discovered that the "OK to Close" had not been performed. The aircraft was re-opened for the inspection.
e) On a Northwest Boeing B757, the vendor mechanic performing maintenance to the aircraft was not able to close the passenger entry door. He made attempts, but he could not close it. He was unsure how to close it. Fiddled around with it but did not ask for any help. These doors also have "arm" positions for slides when they are closed. A Northwest manager closed the door. When questioning the vendor mechanic, this inspector was told that he had only been a mechanic on a structures crew. He had never worked line maintenance. He has had no line maintenance experience in the past 2 years.
f) This FAA inspector spoke to the towbarless aircraft tug driver. In fact, the driver approached him to talk. The driver shared that he was on a 12 hour day and had only received about a 10 minute break. He has been moving airplanes around all day and was very tired. He was a Northwest Airlines' employee................................
h) Another observation of Northwest line maintenance management distracted in repairing aircraft while trying to oversee vendor maintenance. Northwest A320 aircraft with a engine bleed discrepancy. Engine cowl was open and two vendor mechanics were looking at bleed valves. When they were questioned what they were contemplating for the repair, neither of them knew. They both said they had never worked on A320 aircraft. They started looking at this engine for some time both wondering where the manager had gone. I found the manager on the flight deck working on a pitot heat problem. He was having trouble running the on board maintenance test. So again, we have a maintenance manager distracted in a repair for another discrepancy. Upon review of the aircraft logbook, the engine bleed discrepancy had been written up five times in the past two weeks. It is a no go item...........................
j) Spoke to a number of vendor mechanics performing turn around checks on Northwest aircraft. One observed doing landing gear, brakes and wheels was questioned as to what he was looking at? He mentioned brakes and wear pins. When asked if these were checked with brakes on or off, he did not know. The brakes were not on when he was accomplishing his inspection. They must be set to properly check brake wear pins. Spoke to five vendor mechanics doing Airbus turn around checks. None of the five were aware of the wing fuel tank over pressure release indicators. They were not aware of the system they are in or what the white "X" meant."
As I said before NWA is playing a dangerous game. I pray nobody gets hurt.
