In recent months, U.S. airlines have experienced an exceptionally high number of incidents that were fortunately mild but potentially dangerous. The FAA has already placed United Airlines under increased supervision and now a pilots union is warning.

The Allied Pilots Association primarily represents pilots who fly for the American Airlines group. In a memorandum, the union warns that there have been “problematic trends” in maintenance at US airlines. This does not refer to United Airlines, American Airlines or any other airline, because in the opinion of the employee representatives this is a general problem in US aviation.

Everything has to go faster and faster and in some cases there is not enough staff available. This would lead to careless errors. As an example of this, the Allied Pilots Association cites the fact that technicians repeatedly forget their tools in the aircraft. While this wouldn't be a problem at all in a pilot's seat, for example, things are completely different if a hammer is forgotten in a wheel arch. This could cause a serious accident.

The problem is not the technicians, but the working conditions

However, the union does not blame the mechanics themselves, because they have to repair more and more aircraft in a short time and the workforce appears to be quite thin. It would be human to leave something behind or forget it, but the real problem lies in the system: Everything should actually be checked again before the so-called release and if you do this conscientiously, you will also find forgotten tools, as long as they are not accidentally used Example left behind the cabin wall. The APA accuses that the final checks were carried out sloppily before release. There may not be enough time available, which means there is a lot of pressure on the technicians.

The employee representatives also criticize the fact that many US airlines are creatively extending the cycles of routine inspections so that they are carried out less frequently. This would be a security risk that, according to the APA, would be accepted to save maintenance costs. Particularly critical is the fact that after lengthy maintenance, the duration of test flights would be shortened or they could be canceled completely if the aircraft is to be returned to flight service as quickly as possible.

Mechanics also forget tools on the apron

But the union also warns of another circumstance: careless mistakes by mechanics would also lead to dangerous spots on the runways. Especially at smaller airports where there is less air traffic, it is becoming increasingly common for technical staff to leave tools and other items around the aircraft or to forget or lose them somewhere else. This would be dangerous because it could damage machines. It could also be picked up by passengers in the immediate vicinity of aircraft and used against the crews.

However, the APA also admits that it is not only the technical staff who make mistakes, but also the pilots. It happens again and again that they also document any problems with the aircraft incorrectly, incompletely or not at all. In this respect, we also appeal to the pilots to always work diligently when it comes to documenting errors and to use the interfaces to technology in order to be able to contribute to the proper maintenance of the aircraft.

The APA union believes that United Airlines is merely a casualty of the FAA's increased oversight. It could just as easily be American Airlines or any other US carrier, because there is a lot of room for improvement here too. Recent United incidents, such as the loss of a wheel on a B777-200 shortly after takeoff, are attributed to maintenance errors that are said to be part of a "problematic trend." From the perspective of the pilots' union, this could have affected any other US carrier.