FAA Hands Pan Am Fine of $2 Million : In-Depth Inspection Turns Up a Variety of Safety Violations

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration announced today that it has penalized Pan American World Airways nearly $2 million for a variety of safety violations found during an in-depth inspection.

The FAA said in a statement that Pan Am has agreed to pay the fine and has reorganized its maintenance operation to correct the problems.

Pan Am spokesman James Arey confirmed that the airline had reached a settlement with the FAA on its enforcement action but provided no further details.

FAA spokesman Bob Buckhorn said that Pan Am has agreed to pay $1.95 million “in full settlement of the enforcement action,” which stemmed from violations found by FAA inspectors during a two-month inspection of the airline last spring.

Repair Schedules Missed

According to FAA officials, the inspectors found that Pan Am had operated planes that needed repairs, had installed parts that exceeded their approved service life and had failed to inspect airliners within required time limits.

According to the FAA, Pan Am in one case flew an aircraft for 37 flights beyond the scheduled overhaul of one of its landing gear assemblies. In another case, a Boeing 747 was flown 18 times even though one of its control surfaces, which determine a plane’s direction and movement, was out of alignment, officials said.

The inspectors also found that the airline did not keep adequate maintenance records or an accurate list of people authorized to perform maintenance.

Prompt Action Taken

FAA Administrator Donald Engen said that since the inspection, which was conducted from March 10 to May 9, Pan Am has taken prompt action to correct the deficiencies, including expanding its maintenance force by about 200 people.

“Pan American has revamped and expanded its quality-control organization, reorganized planning and production control, reorganized its maintenance organization and increased its engineering staff,” Engen said in a statement.

While calling these actions “very positive,” he said the fine was levied because “the public expects full accountability for an air carrier’s failure to comply with the federal aviation regulations.”

Fine One of Largest

The settlement with Pan Am produced one of the largest fines ever paid in connection with federal safety violations by a major airline.

Last year, American Airlines agreed to pay $1.5 million in connection with maintenance discrepancies found during a similar in-depth inspection.

Both figures, however, are dwarfed by the contested enforcement action the FAA still has under way against Eastern Airlines.

The FAA has demanded that Eastern pay $9.5 million because of thousands of safety violations, mostly involving maintenance and record-keeping irregularities.

Eastern has argued that the fine is excessive and has refused to pay. The FAA has turned the matter over to the Justice Department, which may seek payment by filing a civil suit against Eastern.