AFX suing Evergreen

[TowerDog]

Read a 2 page article in this weeks Time magazine about a big lawsuit against Evergreen for shoody maintenance work.

Since I quit Evergreen some years ago I have slowly lost touch with the boys and the operation.

Understand EIV have pilots on furlough and facing difficult times ahead.
Could this law suit put EIV under?

Any comments on the current state of affairs with Evergreen?

[411A]

Tower Dog--
Something must be in the cards. Their maintenance director keeps calling me wondering when we will bring an L10 to Marana for a heavy check. I told him November or December but he keeps saying...."can't it be sooner?" They have recently expanded there and added new mechanics so the business must be there...or is it?

[TowerDog]

411

After reading that article, I don't know if I would put a plane in that hangar.

The FAA is involved and they are spring loaded, especailly after Value Jet and Alaska Airlines.

[CR2]

G-INTL (AFX B742F) went to Marana after it was bought.
Its been flying for CV, spent the last month on the ground with some pretty serious problems (corrosion I believe). I've been hearing things like Evergreen more or less painted over corrosion & signed off as being rectified. Rumour or?

[WhaleDriver]

Those planes were used up when Fed Ex got rid of them. Then Atlas picked them up hopeing to make some money with them, but no luck, actually their reliability was so bad, it lost some contracts. They spent big bucks trying to make them work.

Then Polar tried to make them work, not!

Good luck AFX. They almost sank Atlas.

[turbine trip]

Polar had a couple of those -70A powered planes... lots of trouble with the reversers... gave 'em back to Boeing; I heard due to them not making reliability guarantees in the lease agreement, or something.

The way the market went, they weren't needed anyway...

[Zoner]

:confused: The dispute with Marana is hard to read. Those airplanes sat there for years and were pretty much thought to be scrapped soon. Things at the zone are slow, but picking up. Just started new service from Kuala Lumpur to New York and signed a lease on a B-727 combi (tay engines, glass cockpit) for new service out of Anchorage. Recalls continue and hope all will back soon. Still about 50 on furlough from a high of 89. The 727 is expected to bring back 3-5 crews in the next two weeks.

[Zoner]

From the latest issue of Air Cargo World:

AFX Suing

Evergreen Air Center, a major aircraft maintenance provider for cargo and passenger operators, says it will fight accusations of faulty work that were thrown across the Atlantic in a lawsuit by British cargo carrier Airfreight Express.

AFX aimed a series of charges at Evergreen in a $10 million suit filed in Tucson, near EAC's Marana, Ariz., base, including extortion, racketeering, overcharging and defective maintenance.

A freight airline that has launched its operations in fits and starts over the last two years, AFX claims Evergreen's work on its 747-200 freighter "raised significant questions about the work practices at EAC and seriously compromised air safety."

EAC President Trevor Van Horn denied the allegations, saying AFX supervised the maintenance with their own representatives and signed off on the work in accordance with government regulations.

"The owner of AFX signed the certificate of airworthiness," Van Horn said. He noted the owner flew the aircraft to the United Kingdom, and has since flown the aircraft on revenue flights. "If AFX was concerned with safety, why would they get on their own airplane? This boils down to a money issue."

Van Horn says EAC, a sister company of freighter operator Evergreen International Airlines, suspended work on the planes three times because AFX failed to pay its bills, which totaled $2 million, between December 2000 and March 2001. "Evergreen has an impeccable, flawless safety record," Van Horn said. "We will vigorously defend ourselves."

I picked up an aircraft at the air center last friday and the guys with wrenchs in their hands said basically the same thing.

[TowerDog]

Hello Zoner from TowerDog.

Yup, I read the yesterdays "Time" Magazine about the above AFX-Evergreen conflict.

Good to hear both sides of the story.

Uh, as far as Evergreen not having had a major accident: What about the DC-9 that crashed in the late eighties and killed the pilots?

Not a maintenance problem or a flight crew proficiency problem, just a bad accident with a cargo door flying open on take-off.

Bad news for sure.

[The Guvnor]

And, Tower Dog - don't forget the engine that fell off the B747 they had on lease to JAL at ANC a while back!

PS - next time I hit FLL we'll have to do that boat trip we postponed last time! :D :D :D

[Zoner]

Hello Tower Dog: I think they meant the air center had a flawless record. It is a different company from the airline. The DC-9 was tragic for sure. They thought the cause was a failed valve which allowed hydraulic fluid in the pressure/relief line and unlocked the cargo door. This resulted in an AD note requiring the vent door on all Douglas cargo doors to insure it will stay locked. The finding on the Anchorage incident was that they encountered extreme turbulence. That coupled with old shear pins tore the engine off the wing. All B-747's now have modified pylons, new pins, and more frequent inspections. Several other cargo 747's had been lost due to similar problems with the pylons/pins. Flying at the zone is down again. It seems there will not be a peak season this year.Have fun in the sun!

[ 31 August 2001: Message edited by: Zoner ]

[TowerDog]

Okay Zoner and roger on the accidents.
(Were ya not the Evergreen DC-9 Chief Pilot at the time??)

Hope Evergreen is coming back from the slump, many good memories from my 3 years hauling DC-8s and B-747s at the "Zone"

The Guvnor:

Yup, we will do the boat trip next time.
Give yerself a few more days and we will sail over to the Bahamas and check out them local gals: Bahama Mamas. Just what a single guy like ya need: The big fat human equivelant of an L-1011... :D :D :D

[The Guvnor]

Hey, TD - I had enough of those gals in Africa, thank you! Now I prefer the slimline version. :D :D :D

Zomer - how have the recent management changes affected Evergreen? In particular, how's TB doing in the hot seat?

One of my associates had an L1011 for part-out and he said the the guys at Marana were always after him for cash - seems like the have cashflow problems there which ties in with what 411A's saying.

[Zoner]

Towerdog: Yes, I was in the hot seat back then. Had to participate on the investigation and it still brings back bad memories. The zone is struggling for sure, but I think we are diversified enough to survive.

Guv: The jury is still out on TB. He got in there just when the bad times stared to roll. He sure has his work cut out for himself.