American Airlines Mechanics & Crew Blamed for 2007 Accident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blames the mechanics and crew of an American Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing after an engine fire in 2007.
The accident in September 2007 occurred during the departure climb of Fight 1400 from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The engine caught fire and the aircraft, an MD-82, with 143 people on board, had to return to the airport. By then, the aircraft's rudder had been damaged and the landing gear had failed. There were no injuries reported, but the plane suffered serious damage. The NTSB held a hearing last week to examine the causes of the accident and has zeroed in on failure of the plane's mechanics. Those failures, the board said, were compounded by the failures of the crew members to identify and resolve those mistakes. The airline is facing intense scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the NTSB's fault finding does not make things any better for the carrier.
Ten days before the accident the aircraft experienced starting trouble; mechanics replaced the starter valve at least six times before the day of the accident. Also on that day, the engine failed to start and had to be started manually. After the accident, investigations revealed that a metal filter had disintegrated due to poor maintenance. This created a variety of mechanical failures that, ultimately, led to the engine catching fire. Investigations also found that the crew members of the plane made errors that added to the problem and could have, potentially, resulted in tragic consequences. For one, the pilot abandoned his emergency checklist and did not inform passengers of the trouble or shut off the fuel supply to the fire. The co-pilot, meanwhile, tried to get the cockpit door open after short-circuiting had set off an automatic door locking system. There was a set of safety measures that should have been followed in an orderly manner, and instead, crew members, at the highest level downward, failed, exacerbating the situation.
American Airlines Crash
Accidents like these could be avoided if big commercial airlines followed safety procedures properly. Failure to do so results, not inly in millions of dollars of damage to equipment, but could also, potentially, cause serious injury or death.
If you have sustained injuries or lost a loved one in a plane crash, lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP can help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Contact an experienced aviation accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP to discuss your options for compensation.
