WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it would fine Southwest Airlines Co. $10.2 million for safety violations that included knowingly flying more than three dozen jets without mandatory inspections for structural damage.

The fine would be the largest ever levied against an airline, the FAA said.

When Southwest belatedly conducted the inspections, it found cracks in the bodies of six Boeing 737-300s, with the largest measuring 4 inches. Serious fractures can depressurize an aircraft and in 1988 caused an Aloha Airlines jet to rip apart, killing a flight attendant.

The FAA announced the fine a week before congressional investigators were to disclose findings from their own inquiry into Southwest's failure to meet airworthiness directives. That investigation was prompted by information provided by Dallas-based FAA inspectors who said their supervisors allowed the planes to keep flying even after Southwest reported its failure to make the scheduled inspections.

Final Rule: Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems/Fuel Tank Safety

Background

During the late 1990s, the FAA and industry determined they needed a better understanding of wire-related failures that could result in arcing, smoke in the cabin or flight deck, and sometimes even onboard fires. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems (EAPAS), which was established in 2001, has been developing enhancements for continued safety of aircraft wiring systems from their design, installation, and maintenance throughout their operational life.

The EAPAS program led to a proposed rule in October 2005 that, for the first time, viewed aircraft wiring as important systems on their own. The rule proposed to revise current maintenance practices and specified other actions to address issues of aging and degradation in wiring.

The final rule, comprehensive in addressing all aspects of electrical wiring design, installation and maintenance for transport airplanes, was published on November 8, 2007. It is the result of recommendations made by industry groups working with the FAA and international authorities to increase the safety of airplane electrical wiring systems.

WASHINGTON, DC — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today finalized a new rule designed to mitigate conditions that put airliners at risk for wire failures, smoke and fire.

The final rule greatly enhances the safety requirements for design, installation and maintenance of electrical wiring in new and existing airplane designs. It moves existing rules on wiring into a single section of the regulations, and adds new certification standards to address wire degradation and inadequate design or maintenance.

“We’ve gained enormous knowledge about aircraft wiring issues over the last decade,” said FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Nicholas A. Sabatini. “With this rule, we are ensuring that wiring systems will be properly designed, installed and maintained over the life of the airplane.”

WASHINGTON — Budding high school mechanics may find themselves working on old airplanes instead of junked cars thanks to a new agreement signed today by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Build A Plane organization.

Under the agreement, the FAA and Build A Plane will join forces to help give more aviation-minded students hands-on experience working on real airplanes. Each organization will use its unique resources to send retired aircraft to schools looking to establish an aviation maintenance program.

“Working together, we hope to strongly encourage young people to consider aviation maintenance and manufacturing as a career,” said FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey. “This program has the potential to help build the next generation of world-class American aerospace workers.”

By Adrian Schofield/Aviation Daily

The FAA is delaying by six months the introduction of a rule that extends the scope of its drug- and alcohol-testing program, but the delay has not eased the repair station industry's concerns about the rule.

The agency had already established a compliance date of April 10 for the new drug testing rule, which was issued in January. Yesterday, however, FAA said the compliance date will be pushed back to Oct. 10. The new rule is intended to make sure that all repair and maintenance sub-contractors are included in the program, FAA said. FAA said the delay is necessary because "it has come to our attention that some original equipment manufacturers and other entities may be confused regarding whether they are performing maintenance or preventative maintenance duties [that are] subject to drug and alcohol testing, or manufacturing duties not subject to testing."

The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the tragic accident that occurred last month in which a mechanic was killed when he inexplicably stepped in front of a 737 engine during a high-power run-up.

KANSAS CITY, MO – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed to impose a civil penalty of $840,000 against the Cessna Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas, for allegedly failing to comply with Federal Aviation Regulations.

The FAA alleged Cessna could not ensure that 42 new aircraft had been manufactured in accordance with the FAA-approved type design and were in condition for safe operation.

The FAA found several discrepancies in flight control rigging on aircraft under construction during an inspection of Cessna’s Independence, Kansas, facility on February 23 and 24, 2005. After that inspection, Cessna found several more cable problems on March 3, 2005.

RENTON, WA – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed to assess a $500,000 civil penalty against Alaska Airlines of Seattle for allegedly operating a Boeing 737 aircraft on 478 flights when it was not in compliance with federal aviation regulations.

The FAA alleged that between July 12 and December 2, 2004, Goodrich Aviation Technical Services, Inc., an Alaska Airlines authorized repair and maintenance vendor, performed extensive maintenance on a Boeing 737, but failed to reinstall the floor proximity lighting system’s emergency exit identifier lights, as required by Alaska’s Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program. Without this cabin floor lighting system the aircraft is not in compliance with regulations and may not be operated in revenue service.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today proposed a rule that would make aviation significantly safer by requiring more than 3,200 existing and certain new large passenger jets to reduce flammability levels of fuel tank vapors.

"Safer fuel tanks on aircraft will help prevent the possibility of future explosions and the tragic loss of lives," U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) would require aircraft operators to reduce the flammability levels of fuel tank vapors on the ground and in the air to remove the likelihood of a potential explosion from an ignition source. The proposed rule is designed to reduce the likelihood of a repeat of the three fuel tank explosions over the past 14 years, including the 1996 TWA 800 accident, that together have resulted in 346 fatalities.

"This proposed rule is the next step to close the book on fuel tank explosions," said FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey. "We're proposing to increase the level of aircraft safety by reducing the potentially explosive ingredient of flammable fuel vapors."