Is Faa Hiding Nwa Strike's Affect On Safety?

[NWA/AMT]

Do you not think there are people who wonder why losing 53% of your coworkers is worth fighting for but not 30% of them? If NW would have accepted AMFA's last proposal - 20% pay cut with 30% reduction in the number of mechanics, custodians and cleaners...  ...how many of you would have voted for that proposal? Would you have gotten a chance to vote on it?

[post="297336"][/post]​

AMFA's last proposal to the company included a 30% voluntary reduction in headcount, with severance pay. Hardly comparable with NWA's 53% involuntary reduction without severance. The membership certainly would have voted on it, and I think the majority would have voted for it.

...(odd - haven't heard to much about the custodians and cleaners during this strike - its mostly been mechanics, mechanics, mechanics)....

Considering that NWA's determination to completely outsource the jobs of the NWA cleaners and custodians is one of the major reasons for this strike, and that NWA cleaners have been featured in just as many media interviews as mechanics, what more would you like to hear?

 

[Beer Guzzler]

Never underestimate the effects of bad maintenance.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/09/07...reut/index.html
“The failure of the plane to pressurize stemmed from maintenance the night before the flight, the report said. The maintenance crew apparently left a pressurization controller rotary knob out of place and the crew did not catch the mistake during preflight checks the next day, it said.â€￾
Hey, but it's cost effective to force your experienced mechanics on strike and replace them with guys drinking a beer on the way to work.

[post="297534"][/post]​

What does a Cyprus passenger plane that crashed near Athens last month have to do with Northwest (AMFA)? They were not SCABS or on strike? What is the relationship? I understand that the crash was Mtc related, among other things, like a series of crew failures as well. (Crew confusion found in Athens plane crash )

How does the Cyprus crash even relate to "experienced mechanics on strike and replace them with guys drinking a beer on the way to work"?

 

[eolesen]

It has nothing to do with the strike. They're just running out of red herrings and windmills to chase...

 

[NWA/AMT]

What does a Cyprus passenger plane that crashed near Athens last month have to do with Northwest (AMFA)?

[post="297910"][/post]​

Perhaps he was attempting to point out the declining standards in aircraft maintenance, of which the NWA strike is a symbol?

 

[eolesen]

Perhaps he was attempting to point out the declining standards in aircraft maintenance, of which the NWA strike is a symbol?

[post="297945"][/post]​

Have you actually read the preliminary report on this accident? That accident is a sign of the declining standards for pilots.

You had two pilots who didn't speak a common language, except for the few words needed for ATC communication, who didn't respond to the cabin altitude alarm when it went off, and didn't react when all the masks started dangling from the ceiling.... Worse, when the captain got out of his seat, the FO didn't don an O2 mask, which is required by most if not all carriers when there's only one pilot at the controls.

Even if there was a valve left in the wrong position, the warning systems worked as they were supposed to, and the pilots didn't react. Perhaps they were hypoxic already, but this one is going to go down as pilot error, with inadequate design of the warning system being a contributing factor (since the cabin altitude warning and the takeoff warning horn are one and the same on the 737). Maintenance might get a passing mention.

 

[NWA/AMT]

Have you actually read the preliminary report on this accident?........ Maintenance might get a passing mention.

[post="297964"][/post]​

Long before the cabin altitude warning switch turned on the alert horn, the "Off Schedule Descent" light on the pressurization control panel should have illuminated and the master caution system should have alerted the pilots that an overhead annunciator light was on.

Except it didn't.

 

[luvn737s]

Long before the cabin altitude warning switch turned on the alert horn, the "Off Schedule Descent" light on the pressurization control panel should have illuminated and the master caution system should have alerted the pilots that an overhead annunciator light was on.

Except it didn't.

[post="298010"][/post]​

No it wouldn't. The Off Schedule Descent light illuminates when the aircraft begins descending befre reaching an altitude within 1000 ft of the flight cruise altitude. (i.e. an air turnback)

Performing a Bleeds Off takeoff followed by shutting down the APU without turning the engine bleeds back on could result in a Helios-type incident.

 

[NWA/AMT]

No it wouldn't. The Off Schedule Descent light illuminates when the aircraft begins descending befre reaching an altitude within 1000 ft of the flight cruise altitude. (i.e. an air turnback)

Performing a Bleeds Off takeoff followed by shutting down the APU without turning the engine bleeds back on could result in a Helios-type incident.

[post="298013"][/post]​

You are correct. It's been many years since I worked on a 737 and I was mistaken. If the pressurization controller had been left in manual AC or DC, they would not even have had an Auto Inop indication.

As the crew had reported air conditioning problems earlier, an engine bleed or pack problem, whether operator error or not, seems most likely.

 

[AMFAMAN]

Perhaps he was attempting to point out the declining standards in aircraft maintenance, of which the NWA strike is a symbol?

[post="297945"][/post]​

Exactly my point...

 

[PlayTheOdds]

Chas, What do you think of Northwest’s' offer? You're right it really sounds like they are on their knees begging.