Sir - Recent news suggests that civil organisations do not seem to share their safety-related views. I was amazed to find that an airline could conduct the same maintenance task, simultaneously, on both engines of a twin without a test before flight. Surely, if there is a need, for example, to change the filters, or carry out a borescope check, or another task which involves some dismantling, it should be conducted on one engine at a time .
If the Boeing 737 involved in recent publicity ("British Midland fined", Flight International, 31 July-6 August, P9) had been maintained in this way, only one engine would have lost all of its oil and the hazard to the aircraft would have been reduced.
So, what has been learned from this experience? Some years ago a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar lost oil from all three of its engines, caused by incorrectly fitted magnetic-chip detectors, all of which had been changed by one engineer. Skilful flying (and, apparently, luck) saved that TriStar then, but it seems that not all airlines took note.
Airlines may well be in cut-throat competition, but it must be the reputation of the airline industry as a whole which is at stake. Perhaps there should be a communications set-up such as that of the confidential-reporting system which the pilots have.
STEVE KIRBY
Twickenham, Middlesex, UK
Source: Flight International
