Compound errors cited in ’07 flight

American Airlines failed to catch repeated errors by mechanics before a September 2007 flight that made an emergency landing after one of its engines caught fire during departure.

The 143 people aboard the flight from St. Louis weren’t hurt, but the incident could have been catastrophic because of additional mistakes by the flight crew, members of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

The four-member board recommended changes in pilot training programs to take into account simultaneous emergencies.

The findings come as the airline faces heightened scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The agency recently assigned a special team of 17 inspectors to examine American’s aircraft maintenance and other operations. The special audit is expected to take about three months.

The NTSB’s hearing Tuesday was held to examine the Sept. 28, 2007, incident in which American Flight 1400’s left engine caught fire during its departure climb from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

The MD-82, a mid-sized airliner, returned to the airport, but fire had damaged its hydraulic system so much that the plane’s rudder wasn’t functioning and the nose landing gear failed to extend during an initial landing attempt. A second attempt was successful.

The plane sustained substantial damage.

American spokesman Tim Wagner said the airline was changing training procedures for mechanics and pilots as a result of the incident and hiring more auditors to review maintenance work.