U.S. to Hold Special Military Charter Inspections

WASHINGTON —  The Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department, spurred by criticism over the deaths of 248 U.S. soldiers in the crash of a chartered jet last month in Newfoundland, moved Tuesday to launch new in-depth inspections of airlines that operate military charter flights.

Although the cause of the crash is still under investigation, Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Hanford Dole, who has supervisory authority over the FAA, declared that “we want to assure ourselves and the public beyond the shadow of a doubt that these carriers are operating with the highest standards of safety.”

Dole said the special inspections at 11 charter airlines and 13 major air carriers will focus on aircraft maintenance, crew qualification, management and equipment. These one-time inspections will be “over and above the ongoing inspection program” that all certificated airlines routinely receive, she said.

Spot Checks to Increase

The Pentagon, meanwhile, said its Military Airlift Command would step up spot checks of chartered aircraft that use U.S. military bases. Defense Department spokesman Robert Sims said the inspections would increase from one in 10 planes to five in 10.

Military inspectors will review maintenance practices and will check “the safety and service standards” of charter flights but generally will leave airworthiness judgments to the FAA experts, Sims said.

The Pentagon relies on FAA certifications in selecting charter carriers in the first place, he said. About 95% of the 1 million Pentagon personnel and their dependents who fly each year at government expense do so on chartered aircraft.

Military Air Disaster

The Dec. 12 crash in Gander, Newfoundland, of an Arrow Air Inc.DC-8 killed troops who were returning to Ft. Campbell, Ky., from peace-keeping duty in the Sinai. It was the worst air disaster of its kind involving the military.

Miami-based Arrow, which has had $13.8 million in contracts with the Defense Department since Oct. 1, had paid the FAA $34,000 in civil penalties last June to settle safety violations uncovered in an earlier FAA inspection.

FAA officials said their inspections would be carried out by teams of specialists drawn from outside the FAA region normally responsible for checking a particular airline.

‘A Fresh Look’

“These very intensive inspections are designed to give us a fresh look and will take several months to complete,” one official said.

Sims told reporters that the Pentagon would increase the number of Military Airlift Command personnel available to travel in the cockpits of chartered aircraft “to ensure that the carrier is meeting contractual obligations” involving safety and service.

He said surveys of FAA safety certifications would be made annually on all airlines, rather than on a spot basis, “to ensure that each carrier is capable of performing the unique requirements” of its military contract.