Transportation Secretary Defends USAir Safety Record
Transportation Secretary Federico Pena on Sunday defended the safety record of USAir in the wake of a crash that killed all 132 aboard one of the company’s 737 jetliners.
“Our review of all of our maintenance efforts and all our surveillance indicates (USAir) has been complying with our regulations,” Pena said on ABC-TV’s “This Week With David Brinkley.” He added that he plans to take a USAir flight on a business trip next week.
But he said he was unsure if the financially troubled airline would survive its fifth fatal crash in as many years.
Carl Vogt, a National Transportation Safety Board official also appearing on the program, said investigators are examining many causes for the crash.
The ill-fated Boeing 737, Flight 427, slammed into the ground just short of Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday night and burst into a fireball seven miles northwest of the city.
On Sunday, investigators found two more engine parts that could indicate that thrust reversers were deployed on the jet. Three thrust reversal actuators from the jet’s right engine have now been found in the deployed position, Vogt said at a news conference.
Thrust reversers are used to slow a plane after it lands and can only be deployed by the pilot on the ground, he said. A jet would crash if the reversers were deployed in flight, he said.
Despite the findings, Vogt said investigators have no theories yet on what caused the crash. “We’re not centering our investigation anywhere,” Vogt said.
The actuators, a supplemental part to the thrust reversers, could have shifted on impact, he said. A fourth thrust reversal actuator from the right engine was found to have not been deployed. Two others from the right engine are still missing.
Vogt also said investigators have interviewed a flight crew that reported engine problems with the jet.
The flight crew reported on June 28 that the right engine was difficult to reverse, Vogt said. It was lubricated and no other pilots complained about the thrust.
About 150 crash investigators combed the site Sunday while crews continued looking for body parts. Several church services were held for the dead.
There are three 20-person crews retrieving remains from a wooded hillside. Crews are rotated every two hours to give them water, rest and a respite from what is a dirty, smelly task. Some of them smear fragrant balm on their upper lip to mask the jet fuel, scorched materials and other odors.
Many team members have asked not to be sent back, officials said.
