According to government and industry officials, the Federal Aviation Administration is close to ending a two year probe into safety violations at American Airlines. Officials familiar with the inquiry told the Associated Press that the investigation could end with the airline receiving one of the largest fines in FAA history. This means that the fine amount could be greater than the $10.2 million fine proposed against Southwest Airlines in 2008, which is the largest fine the agency has given to date.
The FAA’s investigation is focused on improperly secured wiring in American Airlines 290 MD-80 planes. The loose wiring led to a potential fire threat and caused the temporary grounding of hundreds of planes in April 2008. The FAA has yet to comment on a fine and says that the investigation is still ongoing.
Also coming to an end is the Transportation Department inspector general’s inquiry into allegations of maintenance problems at American. In the next several days, the inspector general is expected to release an audit that voices his disapproval regarding the FAA’s lack of oversight of aircraft maintenance at American. Apparently, American’s maintenance issues (which involved ineffective aircraft landing gear and electrical problems in windshield heating systems) were brought to the inspector general by the Allied Pilots Association after FAA inspectors disregarded their complaints.
Source: Fox News
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