Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
US FEDERAL AVIATION Administrator David Hinson has responded to allegations that the ValuJet grounding was politically motivated by saying that the decision was made before a meeting at which senior White House officials were briefed.
Hinson made the claim during a Congressional hearing at which US Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo confirmed that her office is undertaking a criminal probe of events leading up to the 11 May crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in Florida.
Anthony Broderick, the aviation agency's regulation and certification chief, testified he is taking early retirement because he disagrees with Hinson on a possible plan to re-organise FAA safety management. The proposal would separate aircraft certification and aircraft maintenance.
Lewis Jordan, ValuJet's president, said that the airline will shift towards internal maintenance management and oversight with the hiring of a senior vice-president for maintenance and engineering, reporting directly to him.
ValuJet continues to claim that aircraft-maintenance contractor SabreTech was responsible for the crash, which "-we are now almost certain was caused by a vendor's falsification of records, compounded by gross and inexcusable errors and omissions in the handling, packaging, labelling and manifesting of up to 144 unexpended oxygen generators".
Meanwhile, Sabreliner, the parent of SabreTech, has ordered a review of hazardous-material handling procedures at its Miami-based aircraft-maintenance centre. The organisation acquired the Miami operation as part of the DynAir Tech acquisition in 1995.
Holmes Lamoreaux, Sabreliner's chairman, says: "Prior to completing purchase of any company or line of business in the future, we will insure for ourselves that the sites and operations are reviewed for compliance with all hazardous-materials and hazardous-waste regulations."
Source: Flight International
