United faces $435,000 fine over repair issue, FAA says
United Airlines is facing a fine of $435,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration, which said that the airline flew a Boeing 787 passenger airplane that was potentially unsafe nearly two dozen times on domestic and international flights in 2014.
A statement from the federal agency said that United mechanics replaced a fuel pump pressure switch on the plane on June 9 of that year after a flight crew documented a problem two days before.
“However, the airline failed to perform a required inspection of the work before returning the aircraft to service,” the FAA said in a statement this week.
United operated the aircraft on 23 domestic and international passenger flights before inspecting it on June 28 the FAA said, referring to its remarks as allegations.
“Two of those flights allegedly occurred after the FAA had notified United that it had not performed the inspection,” the agency said.
The regulating agency proposed a civil penalty of $435,000 against United Airlines “for allegedly operating an aircraft that was not in an airworthy condition.”
“Maintaining the highest levels of safety depends on operators closely following all applicable rules and regulations,” FAA administrator Michael Huerta said. “Failing to do so can create unsafe conditions.”
Peter Goetz, a former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that he does not have the details of this particular case but that the FAA term “does not mean there is an imminent threat to safe flight. It can mean the air carrier did not follow its own repair and inspection procedures and was penalized.”
United has asked for a meeting to discuss the case, the agency said.
Charles Hobart, a spokesman for United, declined to answer questions about the agency’s allegations. But he said safety was a “top priority.”
“We took action after identifying the issue and are working closely with the FAA in their review,” Hobson said in an email. He declined to give details.