FAA Cites Delta Pilot ‘Lapses of Discipline’

The Federal Aviation Administration said today an inspection of pilots at Delta Air Lines has found frequent examples of poor communications and coordination and “lapses of discipline” in the cockpit.

In a report prompted by a series of pilot errors last summer, the FAA blamed the shortcomings on a “lack of clear-cut, definitive guidance” from Delta’s management.

The investigation into pilot performance at the country’s fourth-largest airline was ordered last July after a series of incidents involving pilot mistakes. In two instances, Delta pilots narrowly avoided a collision over the North Atlantic and almost plunged their aircraft into the Pacific.

The FAA said pilots at Delta were in general compliance with FAA safety regulations, but “instances of a breakdown of communications, a lack of crew coordination, and lapses of discipline in Delta’s cockpits” were regularly observed.

“Crew members are frequently acting as individuals rather than as a member of smoothly functioning teams,” the FAA report concluded. It said, however, that no evidence was found of pilots being “purposefully negligent.”

No Fines, Delta Says

Delta, which is headquartered in Atlanta, issued a statement saying that the FAA found nothing that was considered a safety violation and levied no fines. The airline said it already has taken steps to resolve problems cited by the FAA about flight crew coordination.

The FAA said its inspectors conducted 116 in-flight inspections over both domestic and international routes and also observed the airline’s training programs and evaluated training manuals.

After a series of cockpit incidents involving Delta pilots last June and July, the FAA launched the special investigation of the air carrier, promising a “top-to-bottom” look at pilot operations.

Today’s report did not specifically address any of the incidents, but focused on overall pilot training and performance.

“The intent of this isn’t to investigate any of those incidents. That has or is being done separately,” FAA spokesman Fred Farrar said.