Aloha Maintenance Checks Inadequate, FAA Found

WASHINGTON — An in-depth inspection of Aloha Airlines last December by the Federal Aviation Administration found that the airline did not have an adequate system to assure that its aircraft were properly maintained, according to FAA documents.

The team of inspectors concluded in a report that the airline did not have “an effective internal audit program” to make certain it was complying with federal requirements, including emergency FAA airworthiness directives.

Maurice Myers, Aloha Airlines’ president and chief executive officer, said Thursday that the company had undergone the required investigation that he described as “a very thorough inspection which focuses on procedures and record keeping, not on equipment.”

‘Typical of Airlines’

“In our final briefing by the FAA, we were told by the inspection team that the items found were typical of airlines across the country, and that we run a safe airline,” Myers said.

The FAA inspection included an examination of Aloha’s compliance with a special surveillance requirement for aging aircraft, but indicated no specific concerns about the aging Boeing 737 jet that broke apart during a flight last week.

A section of the plane’s upper fuselage tore away at 24,000 feet, sending a flight attendant to her death and injuring 61 passengers.

According to the FAA, the 19-year-old plane was one of four Aloha aircraft under a special inspection program aimed at aging aircraft as well as a special FAA airworthiness directive warning about possible cracking in the upper portion of the fuselage.

While the FAA review last December made no specific mention of that FAA directive, it cited several instances where Aloha was late in complying with other FAA inspection requirements and in another case said “we are unable to determine the method of compliance” because of inadequate records.