United pilots claim maintenance standards declining

On Wednesday the head of the United Airlines pilots’ union sent a letter to the acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asserting that four recent engine problems on United’s Boeing 737 aircraft likely indicate that “maintenance standards have deteriorated at United as operational decisions are increasingly driven by economic considerations.”

Capt. Steve Wallach, chairman of the UA branch of the Air Line Pilots Association, noted that all of the emergencies occurring shortly after take-off had been resolved without accident or injury when the pilots returned to their departing airports.

In the union official’s letter he appealed to Robert Sturgell, the acting FAA administrator, to UA management to “stop the egregious management decisions which have caused events such as four engine failures in two weeks.”

United is not disputing the engine shutdowns experienced by four of its 737s during the period of July 12 to Aug. 3. It confirmed that it is investigating the causes of the incidents, according to airline spokeswoman, Jean Medina. She agreed that the recent engine failure rate is higher what is normal, but added that United’s “engine performance and maintenance requirements exceed all federal safety standards.”

The spokeswoman disputed the asserting made by the pilots’ union in a memo to its 6,500 member pilots, that UA outsourced this particular maintenance function.

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