They gun-decked the paper work, period.
I was a maintenance test pilot in my first squadron (and the second, etc.). It was my job to make sure that all maintenance actions had been done, the paper work complete and then I would go out and fly a series of proscribed maneuvers with the aircraft depending on the maintenance, scheduled or unscheduled, performed.
Really thorough pre-flights are required, even when the maintenance staff is top flight. On my second cruise I was the Det maintenance officer and I had the absolute best maintenance Senior Chief in the Navy. I trusted that man, would still depend on him with my life.
We were in the Indian Ocean, very calm, nice day; no sea state, early afternoon, big sun.
We had just completed a "Phase Maintenance" on one of our two H-60's, D Phase, the big one. We rolled it out of the frigates hanger for the flight. Senior Chief was ribbing me about my pre-flight: "burning daylight, LT Snipe Hunt, etc." Det life for an aviation detachment on a small boy gets very close, we were and are buddies.
I'm poking through the main rotor head of the 60, a very busy place filled with pitch change horns, bi-filar absorbers, anti-ice wiring, the works.
I really couldn't believe my eyes: There, below the bi-filar, is a
hack saw! Had I started and turned up the head, bad things could have happend.
Tool control is life in aviation maintenance, which is why the shop towels in the oil filler cap is so egregious to me.
I couldn't resist...from the top of the helo I looked down one of the best, really smart maintenance chiefs in the Navy, held up the hack saw and ask, "Senior, is this thing flight worthy?"
The look on his face remains one of my favorite moments.
He immediately called an enlisted only in the hangar, delayed the maintenance hop for an hour and poured over the aircraft.
I did not do a second pre-flight before I launched. Flight went perfect.
The reason I relayed the above is that
great aircraft maintenance is a culture, a very precise dance. Mistakes can be make, but the type of systemic errors from the OP says to me I'll have to question UA and US Airways culture, and whether I fly with them again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ErVikingo
How do they get away with this kind of stuff? I gather that it must reported on some maintenance paperwork if not how did the FAA find out?
I'm sure that a pilot would not take off knowing this.
|