Alaska Airlines faces $590,000 fine for alleged unsafe operation
The federal government has proposed a $590,000 fine against Alaska Airlines for allegedly operating a passenger jet on more than 2,000 flights under unsafe conditions.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that the airline flew a Boeing 737-400 jet for about 18 months with an improperly installed hose clamp above the flight deck. Chafing between the clamp and adjacent wires sparked a fire while the plane was parked at Anchorage International Airport in January 2010, the FAA said.
The agency said the wiring on the plane was last inspected in 2008 but maintenance crews did not fix the clamp, despite warnings in the plane’s maintenance manual. An investigation by the airline found the same clamp problem on nine other jets.
Under FAA rules, the airline could be fined $25,000 for each violation, with every flight counting as a violation. Under that rule, the FAA could fine Alaska more than $53 million for the flights taken by the plane that caught fire.
Instead, the FAA has proposed a $590,000 fine to settle the violation. The airline has 30 days to either pay the penalty or dispute the fine in federal district court.
In a statement, Alaska Airline said it had fixed the problem and planned to cooperate with the FAA to resolve the matter.
“Maintenance technicians inspected all 737-400 aircraft to ensure precise placement of the clamp and inspected the surrounding area for signs of wire chafing,” airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said.
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