Loose row of seats on AA flight ---> emergency landing, 2nd time in a week

2nd time in a week ...

CBS Local New York: Second American Airlines Flight Returns To JFK After Row Of Seats Comes Loose

An American Airlines flight from Boston to Miami had to make an emergency landing in New York over the weekend. CBS 2′s Jessica Schneider reported another incident involving loose seats occurred Monday. An American Airlines spokesperson said Flight 443 departed John F. Kennedy International Airport at around 7:15 a.m. Monday en route to Miami. A row of three seats came loose just like on Saturday’s flight from Boston.

 

I would think it would be easy enough to identify the last person to work on this area of the airplane.

American seems like a good place to stay away from until they sort out the labor issues.

 

American Airlines is saying that the seat issue is caused by the improper installation of a clamp.

It has been reported that AA has outsourced some maintenance work, I can only guess because the cost is cheaper, and that most of these seat issues are from maintenance facilities outside of AA. So the question must be if these outside maintenance facilities have problems installing a simple clamp just what degree of work quality can we anticipate for more critical systems?

 

During the NW bankruptcy there was a lot of disinformation & agitation by the unions, especially the mechanics. Presumably the FAA is keeping tabs on maintenance.

Most heavy maintenance ("C" & "D" checks) is now done overseas, and that's not likely to change.

 

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/10/02/3rd-american-airlines-flight-had-seats-come-loose/

 

Typical union B.S. Mechanics exist because things wear and break & need to be repaired.

Every airline has loose seats at one time or another. My wife collected a nice bump voucher once on Southwest for the same reason -- and their mechanics are all union & in-house.

 

I have installed seats. It isn't all that hard. I have seen first hand some of the qualifications of these out sourced maintenance facilities.

 

They're blaming it on "gunk" ...

One has to wonder: Do they clean their planes?

Click Orlando: American Airlines flights canceled at OIA over 'gunk' issue

The airline has canceled 44 flights Friday, including eight into and out of Orlando International Airport, while it fixes the problem. The airline scrubbed 50 flights Thursday.​

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American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said on Friday that passengers spilling soda and coffee "gunked up" the seat locking mechanism over time on certain planes. ​

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The "gunk" affected the track on the ground "that locks the seats to the aircraft floor," she said.​

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"We are taking extra steps to ensure that the seats do not dislodge from the track," Fagan said.​

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Seats on at least three American Airlines flights have become loose recently, unnerving passengers in the latest of a string of woes for American. The airline has also been beset in recent months by labor troubles, delays and flight cancellations.​

 

NBC Chicago: American Airlines Problems Continue: Loose-seat issue grounds more flights Friday

The airline canceled 44 flights across the country Friday after canceling 50 flights Thursday because of a loose-seat problem airline officials say is bigger than previously thought. Planes had to be taken out of service to fix seat-lock plungers the airline says are allowing rows of seats to come undone. American Airlines is now retrofitting 48 percent of its 100 757s. The work won't be completed until sometime Saturday.​

 

Gunk - yeah, that's an official word. It's right here in the 4313! (Not really)

That's more than just spilled juice and coffee around the seat rails. How's that for a happy thought when you slip off your shoes? "Gunk" sounds plausible if someone is not hitting the attach points with a pressure washer during a heavy check.

 

There must really be a lot of gunk under them thar seats ...

CBS Local DFW: American Airlines Pulls More Jets Following 3rd Seat Incident

Fort Worth-based American Airlines says passenger seats on a third flight came loose during an airborne flight recently, and now says it’s continuing to inspect other jets with similar seating.​

 

The last few AA aircraft I have flown in had poorly maintained interiors, were dirty, and showed a distinct lack of attention to detail on appearance of the aircraft.