This is a recent press release from Aircraft Engineers International regarding the legal investigation into Span Air MD80 accident Flight JK5022.
I apologise in advance if this subject has been covered already please point me to the relevant thread.
http://www.airengineers.org/docs/new...estigation.pdf
Background
I hold a current EASA Part 66 Maintenance Licence; reading this release and the final report makes my spine shiver. The two engineers in question made one mistake, which was to trust an unregulated, deceivable and ambiguous MEL. Scary still this is not the worst thing I have ever seen or heard about being despatched incorrectly.
I have read the CIAIAC report numerous times now and cannot see how placing an inoperative sticker by a RAT gauge lands them with 154 acts of involuntary manslaughter and 18 counts of negligence. Even if the engineers had made the decision to inop the whole system instead of just the Probe heat it still would not have highlighted the u/s Take off warning system.
Safety recommendation
I am quite surprised at this response from the investigators and AEI. I see erroneous intermittent failures of systems all the time. If you cannot reproduce the fault on the ground you cannot fix it; I am sure flight crew appreciate this concept as well. How deep into the system must we go on each defect; time is always a factor and I cannot look at a system schematic every time I am called to an aircraft just to make sure it doesn’t affect a vital system such as TOWS. We rely on the MEL to tell me these links where someone has had time to go through the systems vitals and double check. In some respect the MEL is our QRH and should be as concise.
View on report Scenarios
The report is obviously written by somebody unfamiliar with the processes on the Line and the pressure what are upon you when you are called to an aircraft full of people wanting too fly. How can you have an infinite knowledge of an aircrafts system in your head using experience and intuition? Hindsight is 20:20; shame on you investigators.
Wash up
I do not hold a rating on the MD80 so it will be interesting hearing the views of MD80 typed Pilots and Engineers and the common drills with this snag. If it is fairly common don’t attack these guys actions that have landed them in the slammer, they may work up to 5 types of aircraft a day; that is why the MEL must be black and white, with no grey!
CIAAIC Report A-032-2008
http://www.fomento.gob.es/NR/rdonlyr..._032_A_ENG.pdf