US Airways Fined $400,000 by the FAA for Shipping Violation
US Airways
Potentially Explosive Materials Found on US Airways Flights
US Airways has been slapped with a $395,850 fine by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after inspections turned up potentially explosive materials.
CBS news reports:
‘The FAA inspection of the airline’s facilities at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn., took place two years ago. The alleged violations involve 12 flights in and out of the airport between Feb. 26 and May 12, 2010.
In one instance, the FAA said the Transportation Security Administration discovered ten disposable cigarette lighters filled with flammable gas in a passenger’s checked bags. In another, the FAA said US Airways loaded an improperly packaged shipment containing wet cell batteries filled with alkali on a flight.’
The FAA is also penalizing the airline for not providing the carriers’ pilots with required information on 23 shipments of hazardous materials that were approved for transport.
US Airways has thirty days to appeal the fine.
Category: Airnation
it’s valuejet 592 all over again…usair craft STILL go by the callsign ‘critter’, i guess they still pack hazardous comat in the holds without alerting the crew. remind me not to fly them ever!
I was just saying that about another article on this site- it’s scary to think that everyday harmless items can damage a plane.
Jerry, what does ‘critter’ mean?
‘critter’ is the callsign that US Air planes go by when communicating with air traffic controllers, like “critter 1589, we’re gonna be in the hudson”… ;)
the defunct airline ValueJet, who had a plane crash in the everglades years ago due to poorly stored oxygen containers in the cargo hold also went by that callsign.
Oh ok. I’d heard it before but didn’t know its use. I’ve also heard ‘Cactus’ too.
*Edited* And do them a favor, don’t fly them, ever. US Airways’ callsign is “Cactus”, and has never been “critter”.
BA uses Speedbird
From an excerpt: “In one instance, the FAA said the Transportation Security Administration discovered ten disposable cigarette lighters filled with flammable gas in a passenger’s checked bags.”
Isn’t that the TSA’s responsibility to properly inspect bags? Last I checked, once a bag hits the carousal TSA needs to inspect it. If it passed with those disposable lighters in the bag, that fault belongs to TSA.