Report: FAA Put Northwest Airlines¿ Interests Ahead of Public Safety

MINNEAPOLIS - An FAA whistleblower claimed the agency was putting the interests of Northwest Airlines ahead of public safety, and according to a new report – it’s true.

Details in the new report were just released Friday morning, backing up claims made by Federal Aviation Administration inspector Mark Lund. He said the relationship between FAA managers and Northwest Airlines was so cozy, the airline wouldn’t get fined or penalized for ignoring safety concerns.

On example found that 14 times in a four month period Northeast Airlines didn’t comply with safety orders. Over and over again the FAA closed out cases without recommending penalties or fines. In one case, Northwest had to ground 27 planes because it hadn’t inspected landing gear parts as required by a safety order. The inspections were intended to prevent the main landing gear from separating from the wing and possibly rupturing a fuel tank.

The report, dated December 2009, says, “the status of Northwest’s compliance with more than 1,000 (safety orders) is unknown.” Northwest merged with Delta Airlines last year and now flies as Delta.

“We are currently reviewing the documents and, as always, we will fully cooperate with the government agencies to ensure our core values of safety, quality and compliance are not compromised,” a Delta spokeswoman said.

The FAA says it has taken corrective action.

Mark Lund has taken a lot of heat for blowing the whistle on the FAA and Northwest, and he told a special counsel that FAA managers are still not backing up inspectors who try to cite the airline for safety problems. He says there is a culture at the FAA of placing the carriers’ interest over safety, but the FAA says it’s working to make some changes.

Northwest Airlines in the News

Story: Northwest Reservation Code Retired
Listen: Audio + Transcrips of NWA Flight That Overshot Minneapolis Airport

Report: FAA Put Northwest Airlines’ Interests Ahead of Public Safety | Originally published by MyFoxTwinCities.com