The FAA will step up scrutiny of United Airlines after recent crashes

Baggage handlers prepare to load baggage onto a United flight at Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on February 15, 2024.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images

United Airlines said late Friday that U.S. safety regulators would tighten oversight of the airline after a series of recent safety incidents.

United vice president of corporate safety Sasha Johnson said in a statement that in the coming weeks, employees will see an increased presence from the Federal Aviation Administration “in our operations as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and structures.”

The Chicago-based airline has experienced several emergencies in the past two weeks. On March 15, an exterior panel was discovered missing from a United plane when it landed in Oregon, triggering an FAA investigation.

Before that crash, a Boeing 737 MAX operated by United Airlines rolled onto grass in Houston. A United Boeing 777-200 bound for Japan also lost a tire after takeoff from San Francisco and was diverted to Los Angeles, where it landed safely.

The incidents “have rightly caused us to pause and consider whether there is anything we can and should do differently,” Johnson’s note read, adding, “We welcome their engagement and are very open to hearing from them what they find and their perspective on the things we’re looking for.” we may need to change to make us even safer.”

On Tuesday, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told Reuters that the agency will look at United more closely, saying that United CEO Scott Kirby “knows that we will engage with them a little more closely as we look at these aspects.” .

Asked for comment on United’s memo, the FAA said Friday that it “routinely monitors all aspects of an airline’s operations” including “compliance with applicable regulations; the ability to identify hazards, evaluate and mitigate risks ; and effectively manage safety”.

After the Alaska Airlines in-flight emergency on January 5, the scrutiny of aircraft manufacturer Boeing was also launched, with investigations into safety and quality standards in its production process.

Asked about the additional attention many airline crashes are attracting, Whitaker said some events receiving coverage are not necessarily unusual, but the FAA investigates to ensure there is not a broader safety trend.

Whitaker said it’s important to “try to separate the signal from the noise. … The system works well because it has a lot of built-in redundancy, a lot of resilience.”

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