Keep you book of regs in your back pocket

[Lu Zuckerman]

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.

------------------
The Cat

[mriya225]

I don't know how it works in the U.K. but in the U.S. attorneys take an oath to provide "zealous" representation. They end up taking a bad wrap for it, but that's the law. Even if they think that their client is a money grubbing, lying sack of garbage.

Although I've never lost a loved one to an aircraft accident, I'm pretty sure that no amount of money they offered could beat back my grief anyway; and I find the idea of discussing money at a time like that unspeakably distasteful.

[Lu Zuckerman]

Regarding discussing money at a time like that, lawyers involved in the litigation of aviation accidents are restricted from contacting the surviving members of a family for a minimum of thirty days. In most cases it is the survivors that contact the lawyers and not the other way around.

However in my posting I was alluding to what could happen to a mechanic if it were proven that he made a mistake. I went through this subject on another forum. In that case, I described the law suit revolving around the loss of a commercial CH-47 in I believe Scotland several years ago. They traced the transmission lock up to a redesign of a retaining mechanism in the gear box. The design was faulty and not only was Boeing helicopters sued but the chief of the transmission design group along with several designers were found at fault. These guys didn't have deep pockets but it makes the airframe manufacturers more aware of their responsibilities to the flying public. They can just as easily go after a lowly mechanic and he may be held criminally responsible. Not only that, he can be fined by the FAA and lose his A&P ticket.

Don't think because you might work for a non American airline that you are safe from the reaches of the American law system. There are a lot of ways that a crash or accident of a non American air line can be litigated in the United States. Much of the major life cycle items on European built aircraft comes from the States so the the law applies, if the Aircraft was built in the States the law also applies and strange as it might seem many European and UK lawyers seek out law partners in the United States and have them bring the case to trial. The reason for this is that the jury awards are much higher in the States than in the UK or Europe.

------------------
The Cat

[This message has been edited by Lu Zuckerman (edited 31 October 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Lu Zuckerman (edited 31 October 2000).]

[jetfueldrinker]

With regarsds to qualifications for maintenance staff, under European regs you must have served a recognised apprenticeship or equivalent Forces training. So how do countries in the former Soviet states or Hong Kong manage to get away with it? Semi skilled people for de-panelling and greasing? Whatever,how much heavy work will end up going over there? And how many accidents may be caused because a bloke couldn't tell the difference between a Boeing ang a MiG?

[redtail]

Lu, when I was in tech school our instructors kept stressing how important it was to keep our certificates in a servicable condition. It was explained to us that we could always get another job using our certificates, but it would be hard to stay employed in this field if we lost our certificates. I have also found that drawing the line and standing one's ground pays off later on, as people realize you won't compromise your integrity. I am concerned about the areas in our industry that do not have all the avenues of support to do the job correctly that I enjoy, such as NASA forms, the FAA hotline telephone number and union support.

[redtail]

Duplicate post. I must have stuttered.



[This message has been edited by redtail (edited 01 November 2000).]