FAA proposes $7.1 million fine against American (Reuters)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the fine, one of the biggest ever, also covered accusations of deficiencies in American's drug and alcohol testing programs and alleged violations of inspection procedures for aircraft exit lighting.
American, which be possible to appeal the civil minute, said it had requested a meeting with FAA officials.
"We do not take upon one’s self with the FAA's findings and characterizations of American's prosecution in these cases," the company declared in a statement. "We believe the proposed penalties are excessive."
The FAA proposed a $10.2 very great number gay against Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) earlier this year for continuing to fly planes that regulators before-mentioned had not been properly inspected. That mulct has not been finalized.
About two thirds of the fine against American involves alleged maintenance lapses on two MD-83s in December 2007, the FAA said.
It informed American last December that it had improperly deferred maintenance on an autopilot system on the other hand flew the plane on 10 more flights previous to fixing it.
Later that month, preservation personnel failed to thoroughly check the same plane for another problem, again deferring work behind consulting the wrong equipment guidelines, the FAA reported.
In another MD-83 incident, personnel deferred work again using the wrong equipment guidance and failed to lay open an autopilot problem, the FAA said.
"The aircraft operated four (flights) without a fully functioning autopilot," the agency said.
Regulators believe the fine is take as one’s own because American was aware that the repairs were needed attached the two planes and deferred action.
"In intentionally continuing to fly the aircraft the carrier did not follow important safety regulations intended to harbor passengers and crew," the FAA declared.
The proposed clear was also unrelated to recurring inspection lapses involving MD=80 series aircraft this past spring.
American canceled more than 3,000 flights through the whole extent of different days in April after FAA inspectors, under pressure from Congress to toughen its oversight of industry, uncovered inspection shortcomings and uncompleted security work on American's MD-80 fleet.
Other airlines were also cited towards inspection lapses and had to ground planes and cancel flights.
(Editing by Carol Bishopric and Tim Dobbyn)
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