Keep you book of regs in your back pocket
I found this on another web site:
The fallout of ValueJet and other crashes should have been a wakeup call for everyone. And now, the fallout from the Alaska Airlines and Firestone Tires disasters will result in new requirements for people working for their companies. Sabertec, who worked on the ValueJet MD-80 that crashed, is now out of business.
Santa Barbara Aerospace, who worked on the Swiss Air MD-11 Flight 111 that crashed, is now out of business. The Alaska Airlines Flight 261 has resulted in more fallout, and B.F. Goodrich-Tramco is having problems for using a non-approved bolt.
Companies can no longer claim, “That’s the way we have always done it.” They are finding themselves out of business, fined heavily, or sued. Boeing has been fined $1.6 million. America West was fined $12 million. No longer can an engineer, planner, or mechanic do just what the company wants. Now you must do your job in accordance with the law or FAA requirements. It’s your responsibility to work according to the law. The company is not going to protect you if there’s a loss of life.
The fallout from the crashes of airlines, in the last few years, has resulted in individuals who worked on those aircraft being brought up on felony charges! The fallout from flight 261 has caused the FAA to require everyone at a startup company in Palmdale, California to take classes on FAA regulations. It looks like the FAA is going to require all workers to be tested and have a license to work on aircraft. I’m afraid that it will not be long before all of us will have to be bonded to protect ourselves from possible lawsuits. It’s just a matter of time before a smart lawyer figures out how to sue everyone involved in a plane crash or a defective product, like a Firestone tire.
The U.S. Congress just passed a law that would require a CEO of a company to spend 15 years in jail for covering up a defective product. Liability laws are changing. The CEO of Firestone, by the way, retired the day after that law was passed.
THIS MY PERSONAL OPINION (Lu Zuckerman): MOST PEOPLE IN AVIATION HATE LAWYERS FOR WHAT THEY DO TO AVIATION RELATED COMPANIES. HOWEVER, PUT THE SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR FAMILY WERE OFFERED A MISERLY AMMOUNT IN THE EVENT THAT YOU WERE KILLED IN AN AIRCRAFT RELATED ACCIDENT? IF YOUR FAMILY COULD NOT HIRE A LAWYER YOU WOULD BE STUCK WITH WHAT THEY
WERE OFFERED.
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The Cat