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According to a survey conducted by CBS News and spreading over eight months, airline officials feel compelled to turn a blind eye to the security problems that could arise on board aircraft. In some cases, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has agreed to these mechanics.
The US aviation system is experiencing an unprecedented period of safety, with only one passenger carrier fatality in the last decade. But in our interviews with more than two dozen airline mechanics, they talk about the pressure to turn planes faster, which can sometimes be too much, reports CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave. They attribute this situation to the economic reality of the air sector: an airplane only brings money back to an airline company when it carries passengers.
The video on cellphone captured a tense exchange between an American Airlines mechanic and a director in 2017.
"We are an accident waiting," could we hear the mechanic.
The FAA found a reason to believe a Miami A locomotive engineer was retaliated for reporting problems with the retirement of several aircraft.
"You choose a guy because he does his job, and all of us? What will happen to us when we do our job?" we hear the mechanic say.
Gary Santos, a longtime American Airlines mechanic based in New York, described it as "a shortened environment".
"They are trying to put pressure on the individual so that he does not write it," Santos said.
"They would prefer that you do not report a maintenance problem?" Van Cleave asked.
"Good," Santos replied.
Although a sometimes tense relationship between management and mechanics is not uncommon, each of the 26 airline mechanics we spoke to – two-thirds of American and the others from Southwest Airlines – stated that they have been subjected to pressure from the managers to concentrate solely on the work done. [19659006] "If you work, for example, on a landing gear, lubricate it, and notice that a hatch is leaking, and you write the leak of the hatch, you are out of your reach" said a mechanic.
These claims are corroborated by the findings of several FAA whistleblower complaints of inappropriate pressure and retaliation since 2015 by the two airlines – and at least 31 other anonymous reports at the US level. 39, industry between 2015 and 2018.
"I've already seen people quit work, were suspended for a month or more because they reported problems that they were supposed to be on the sidelines of their search, "said the mechanic.
Several American mechanics – all with decades of work – spoke of the condition that we did not show their faces, saying that they feared reprisals.
"You constantly have people on your shoulder wondering why it takes so long, can not we ignore a few steps?" Another mechanic said.
"Did you have managers use the words" can not we skip some steps "?" Van Cleave asked.
"Absolutely," said the mechanic. "The pressure is there and, you know, the threats of dismissal and getting you out of the airfield, as they would say, are a very real and common place. "
Mechanics come from bases across the country A mechanic told CBS News that the pressure was aimed at "significant safety problems."
"What we had to fix. Worn tires, worn-out brakes, fuselage damage, "he said CBS News obtained the transcript of the teleconference from a Southwest employee in December 2017, where Landon Nitschke, senior vice president technical operations, acknowledged: "We must fix some things with the FAA … there are things with … [mechanics] Supervisors are certainly questioned … and again: compliance, compliance , conformity. "
Capt. Dave Hunt is the Senior Director of Safety Management at Southwest." I think it's a good indicator of what our management says to our employees, "he said. Hunt. "It's our highest priority."
"But you do not have the impression that your mechanics are under undue pressure or being threatened, reprimanded, criticized for finding problems out of reach? "Van Cleave asked.
" I think any problem that is submitted to us is taken seriously, taken into account, investigated, and we act Consequently. So, every time we hear about a case, we look at it carefully, "
" But you do not say it does not happen, "said Van Cleave.
"Whenever we become aware of a safety-related event, we take them all seriously and act accordingly.
Former National Transportation Safety Board Member John Goglia , said it was unusual for so many mechanics to express themselves in public.
"It's at the top of the hill that screams are screaming at the top. Goglia said: "There is no doubt that there is a problem."
He thinks that the pressure to speed up repairs and get the aircraft up and running faster is a problem for the whole mechanics industry.
"You have two dozen, and in the last three or four years, more than a hundred people have called me such a complaint, and I'm talking about calls from all airlines, "said Goglia.
David Seymour is senior vice president at American.
"Safety is part of the culture and they know that if they do not do it safely, they should not do it at all," said Seymour. "Does it concern you that we were hearing a different account from a number of mechanics?" Van Cleave asked.
"This is not a concern for me because I think we have programs in place to make sure they can report them," Seymour said.
"You say that's not a problem, we talked to a former member of the NTSB board, who said that, given the number of people we talked to … and that many people filmed on camera are not a red flag, he called it a field of red flags, "said Van Cleave.
"What I am going to tell you is that allegations have been made, but almost all of them have been dismissed.We had to solve some problems, but again, it has never been alleged that American Airlines had piloted dangerous aircraft, said Seymour.
Southwestern and US unions are struggling with strained union negotiations with mechanics over wages and benefits. 19659006] "Should people worry about the planes they are riding on today?"
"I go there every day, so I'm not worried … it's like I'm climbing to a ladder where the top of the hierarchy could be an accident or a serious incident, "Goglia said." Whenever you do not do things the way they're supposed to be do, you go up another ladder in the ladder … and it takes several steps in. To start climbing, the risk begins to be severe. "
" Are you worried that pressure is causing an accident? Something is not going to be repaired? "Van Cleave asked Santos.
" These things keep me awake at night, "replied Santos.
These mechanics tell us that they're worried the consequences of the pressure they describe on safety culture over time.In the situation in Miami, American said he did not think it was a case of retaliation.This mechanic is at work today.
An FAA official told us that, although they saw cases of undue pressure, they felt that the vast majority of employees were trying to do what was right.
Look more of our investigation Monday night on the "CBS Evening News".
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