The American aviation authority FAA definitely wants to ground the cargo airline Transair. During an inspection, blatant deficiencies in maintenance were identified.
The airline has been in the air for 40 years. “Uninterrupted” as she proudly announces on her website. But as of July 2nd, everything is different at Transair Hawaii. At that time, the two pilots of a Boeing 737-200 of the cargo airline had to ditch at sea because of problems with the engines.
The wreck was found a week later at a depth of over 100 meters on the seabed. The Boeing 737 broke apart and the engines were torn off. The American aviation authority had previously examined the maintenance and safety culture of the parent company Rhoades Aviation – and found violations.
Poor manuals not adapted …
The accident was reason enough for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground Transair immediately. Now it’s getting even worse for the airline. Now the authority definitely wants to ground the airline. As she announces, she plans to revoke Rhoades Aviation’s Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).
The ditching is not the most important reason. Not only did Transair fail to keep records of safety management and correct inconsistencies in the manuals. The FAA had requested that. The airline also did not carry out maintenance work on the engine properly and did not document this work.
… and flown without prescribed maintenance
But there is much more at stake. Transair Hawaii has flown two Boeing 737-200s more than 900 times without including them in the maintenance and inspection program. In addition, they have carried out 33 flights with a Boeing 737, the engines of which have been repaired with non-approved spare parts.
Transair and its mother Rhoades Aviation now have 15 days to appeal the decision. It is the last chance in order not to have to end a company history abruptly after 40 years. Most recently, they operated a fleet of four Boeing 737-200s.