Troubled airlines present additional challenge for FAA WASHINGTON (AP) =97 When an airline is in financial distress, the Federal=20 Aviation Administration increases vigilance to ensure maintenance isn't=20 compromised. But with two huge airlines in Chapter 11 and the FAA facing=20 criticism for not doing enough to monitor a third, some lawmakers question= =20 whether the agency is up to the task. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. and chairman=20 of the House aviation subcommittee, said the FAA needs more money to do the= =20 job. He also said he may write legislation ordering that FAA personnel be=20 shifted to that task. "There have been many more people killed due to=20 maintenance defects and lack of inspection and oversight than in all the=20 terrorist acts combined in this country," Mica said. "We do have some=20 airlines in deep financial trouble, and it's important we have inspections= =20 to make certain they're operating safe aircraft and that proper maintenance= =20 is adhered to." The FAA has 3,300 aviation safety inspectors to monitor 139= =20 airlines, 637,000 active pilots, 273,000 mechanics, 7,600 commercial=20 aircraft, 11,000 charter aircraft and 220,000 private planes, according to= =20 an April audit by the Transportation Department's inspector general. FAA inspectors analyze data, review paperwork and conduct spot checks of=20 airlines' maintenance programs. Labor unrest, financial problems and rapid= =20 growth are among the things that prompt increased supervision. Many U.S.=20 air carriers have struggled financially since the Sept. 11 attacks. Major=20 airlines expect to lose about $10 billion this year, according to Leo=20 Mullin, Delta Air Lines' chief executive. And they have cut about 100,000=20 jobs since the attacks. United Airlines, the second-largest U.S. airline,=20 and US Airways, the fifth-biggest, declared bankruptcy this year. The FAA=20 was faulted by the National Transportation Safety Board for its supervision= =20 over Alaska Airlines. Still, FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said the=20 agency believes it has enough people to monitor maintenance at all=20 airlines. Greg Martin, another FAA spokesman, said the cyclical nature of=20 the aviation business has conditioned the agency to deal with a number of=20 troubled airlines at once. "We've been here before so there's nothing=20 particularly extraordinary that would leave us unprepared," Martin said.=20 Nonetheless, the bankruptcies have some worried. "The FAA is stretched pretty thin," said Bill Waldock, professor of safety= =20 science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz. "They've= =20 had difficulty in responding to a circumstance like a bankrupt airline,=20 where there's pressure to cut costs." Eastern Airlines was fined $3.5=20 million for falsifying work records on its fleet soon after declaring=20 bankruptcy in 1991. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chaired oversight=20 hearings on Eastern, which no longer operates. "The carriers say they never= =20 compromise on maintenance, but there's a downward pressure," Oberstar said.= =20 Linda Goodrich, spokeswoman for the union representing FAA inspectors, said= =20 bankrupt airlines require much closer oversight. For example, instead of=20 simply checking records on how often jet tires are rotated, an inspector=20 goes to a bankrupt airline's maintenance facility and personally examines=20 the tires. She estimates the FAA needs 500 more inspectors and 100 more=20 administrators to do the job right. "We are so thin, we do minimally what=20 we can do and depend a lot on our expertise," said Goodrich, who was an=20 inspector for 20 years. "We should all be terribly concerned." Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said he's concerned the FAA feels pressure from= =20 Congress and the White House to hold the line on staffing. "If they're=20 going to do some enhanced on-the-ground surveillance they're going to have= =20 to ask for more personnel," DeFazio said. Critics say airlines that grow=20 quickly also present problems for the FAA, which hasn't always increased=20 supervision as fast as an airline has added planes. Alaska Airlines=20 experienced a number of maintenance problems during a period of rapid=20 expansion several years ago. Earlier this month, the National=20 Transportation Safety Board blamed faulty maintenance and poor FAA=20 oversight for a January 2000 crash off the California coast that killed all= =20 88 aboard an Alaska Airlines jet. The agency has increased inspectors since= =20 then and the airline improved its maintenance program. Spitaliere said she= =20 doesn't know how many airlines are under heightened surveillance now. "We=20 usually don't go into specifics," she said. But increased oversight doesn't necessarily require more inspectors,=20 Spitaliere said. Bill Bozin, vice president of safety and regulatory compliance at US=20 Airways, said he met with FAA officials the day after the airline declared= =20 bankruptcy in August. The airline, which hopes to emerge from bankruptcy=20 early next year, quickly enhanced its internal maintenance oversight, Bozin= =20 said. "We can't allow ourselves to have any missteps," he said. "We realize= =20 there is that potential because of the distraction factor that is there."=20 Hank Krakowski, United's vice president of safety, security and quality=20 assurance, met with FAA officials almost immediately after the airline=20 declared bankruptcy on Dec. 9 to discuss maintenance, according to Chris=20 Brathwaite, an airline spokesman. Pilots, often the first to notice=20 maintenance corners being cut, haven't heard of any safety problems at=20 United or US Airways, said John Mazor, spokesman for the Air Line Pilots=20 Association. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) : escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: www.tobagoweddings.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************