Loose Row of Seats on American Airlines
Major cancellations for B757 flights just started at AA.
Sounds like a US goverment aviation agency may have had enough of AA management.
No news yet across the wires for the official reason.
Sounds like a US goverment aviation agency may have had enough of AA management.
No news yet across the wires for the official reason.
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48 757s grounded to have the seats repaired again. This time they are sure they know what's wrong with them. Aircraft will be out of service till Saturday. Must be the pilot's fault again somehow...
Now AA is blaming spilled soda, coffee and snacks.....
So it's nothing to do with the fact these seats happen to be in section that is reconfigured (and hence subject to incorrect installation)... it's soda. 
Something called the seat lock plunger mechanism can "get gunked up over time with people spilling sodas, popcorn, coffee or whatever and that can affect that locking mechanism on the ground that locks the seat to the floor," airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said Friday
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Now AA is blaming spilled soda, coffee and snacks.....
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What is their claim with soda? That it corroded the track? There would have to be an awful lot of it and for a long time to do that, if at all. I think they are bringing the pop and coffee thing forward as a Segway into not bringing it on board. Saves On the cost of the drinks and saves on weight. Never let a crisis go to waste.
Last edited by Dushan; 6th Oct 2012 at 00:45.
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Reminds me of an experience some twenty years ago flying from Jan Smuts to FDMS on an early morning service which was advertised as a RSN flight, but turned out to be operated by a LAM aircraft.
When we approached Manzini on that early morning there was thick fog, and the flight deck crew decided to abort and divert to FQMA, their home base, rather than return to FAJS. Nobody on board obviously had a visa for Mozambique, and we were held in a tiny room pending better weather conditions at Manzini.
We finally departed Lourenço Marques in what was a similar B737 that we had arrived on. However, when taking off and following rotation, the rear 10 or so rows of seats began to slide back, moving the COG accordingly and drastically changing the pitch. Lots of screeming ensued. It's a credit to the cockpit crew that they managed to get the situation under control and return to FQMA. As it turned out, the aircraft had been used for freight duty with the seats removed, but somehow the process of tightening of the bolts securing the seats had been interrupted at some point and not completed prior to departure.
When we approached Manzini on that early morning there was thick fog, and the flight deck crew decided to abort and divert to FQMA, their home base, rather than return to FAJS. Nobody on board obviously had a visa for Mozambique, and we were held in a tiny room pending better weather conditions at Manzini.
We finally departed Lourenço Marques in what was a similar B737 that we had arrived on. However, when taking off and following rotation, the rear 10 or so rows of seats began to slide back, moving the COG accordingly and drastically changing the pitch. Lots of screeming ensued. It's a credit to the cockpit crew that they managed to get the situation under control and return to FQMA. As it turned out, the aircraft had been used for freight duty with the seats removed, but somehow the process of tightening of the bolts securing the seats had been interrupted at some point and not completed prior to departure.
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If memory serves, years ago a mechanic was interrupted while refastening the leading edge to the horizontal stab of US commuter turboprop. The leading edge separated in flight and all aboard were killed.
Last edited by BobnSpike; 6th Oct 2012 at 08:29.
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me too
Back in the late 70s, I had just rotated a well worn Cessna 150 off
the Buffalo, MN airport, when I found myself at the back of the cockpit.
For some reason, I released the yoke when the seat let go of its track, and got
to claw myself back into position instead of the other outcome.
When I explained the situation to the crusty retired bush pilot FBO,
he replied "That's what those phone books in the back of the cockpit are for."
Woulda been nice if he had put that on the checklist.
This has happened a number of times with light Cessnas, with more predictable results. People have died, lawyers have prospered.
the Buffalo, MN airport, when I found myself at the back of the cockpit.
For some reason, I released the yoke when the seat let go of its track, and got
to claw myself back into position instead of the other outcome.
When I explained the situation to the crusty retired bush pilot FBO,
he replied "That's what those phone books in the back of the cockpit are for."
Woulda been nice if he had put that on the checklist.
This has happened a number of times with light Cessnas, with more predictable results. People have died, lawyers have prospered.
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Something called the seat lock plunger mechanism can "get gunked up over time with people spilling sodas, popcorn, coffee or whatever and that can affect that locking mechanism on the ground that locks the seat to the floor," airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said Friday
Normally, all the "gunk" on boats, trains, planes, and autompbiles makes it HARDER to get the pieces apart when needed. It's VERY STRANGE that at AA the "gunk" makes all those old seats come apart!
I wonder if Ms Fagan has a clue at all...
Normally, all the "gunk" on boats, trains, planes, and autompbiles makes it HARDER to get the pieces apart when needed. It's VERY STRANGE that at AA the "gunk" makes all those old seats come apart!
I wonder if Ms Fagan has a clue at all.
I wonder if Ms Fagan has a clue at all.
Some of us have vans where the rear seat is on tracks. Everything is fine for a few years until we need to slide the seat back a foot to fit the new TV in that the missus wants for the house. We bang on the seat to get it unlatched and then try sliding it back until we feel it settle into a new latch position. Only the gunk from all the kiddies spillling their slurpies etc. prevents the latch to make a truly satisfying snap sound as it seats. But the seat seems not to move anymore so we assume everything is OK.
Then when we slam on the brakes the seat comes hurtling forward because the new latch position was never quite seated.
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That's a reasonable description of what the problem likely is, lomapaseo.
Much better than a lot of people, whose only experience of seats is sitting in them, making snap judgements. See what I did there!
Much better than a lot of people, whose only experience of seats is sitting in them, making snap judgements. See what I did there!
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There's been a recurring inspection AD on those Cessna seat latches for years now. But a little imagination is sufficient to realize you do NOT want this happening to you... 
"I wonder if Ms Fagan has a clue at all..."
During the AA Flight Attendant strike in 1992, AA decided to fly the entire schedule even though they only had 1000 or so Scab FA's and a couple hundred management replacements out of 20,000 total needed. Only a small percentage of flights were capable of hauling passengers. Ms Frances Fagan knew this, yet stood on live national tv, and announced while pointing to the empty jets "see, everything is normal, come out to the airport, all our planes are flying". She was lying and knew it.
Now the seat issue. Mary Frances Fagan and the AA PR department know that the BOS-JFK diversion with the the loose row of seats also had 20 other rows barely holding. She also knew the food and gunk build-up was BS since the diversion flight had just come out of the outsourced maintenance hangar only 3 calendar days before the seats came loose.
She lied again.
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Cost-Cutting Cited in Loose Plane Seats
So if the statement from the AA spokesperson is true, which seems to be doubtful, I guess the real question should be: Why don't AA clean their aircraft properly, at least once in a while, preventing the build up of "gunk"?
The AA spokesperson may have, inadvertently, said: Our aircraft are filthy, come fly with us!
The AA spokesperson may have, inadvertently, said: Our aircraft are filthy, come fly with us!
