Tuesday, June 3, 2014

JAL finds 16 maintenance errors between October and May.

An internal investigation by Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) found 16 maintenance errors between October 2013 and May 2014. During routine maintenance on May 8th, Boeing 777-289 JA8978 was found missing a cascade of the thrust reverser in one of its engines, and it turned out the aircraft had flown without the part for a month.

A subsequent probe revealed 16 maintenance errors on 777s and 767s between October 28th, 2013 and May 17th, 2014, and as a result, JAL suspended all scheduled maintenance procedures between May 19th and 23rd to analyze the cause, review current procedures, and come up with preventive measures. "Engineers have work shifts. We made the decision so that all of them could get together and talk as one team," JAL President Yoshiharu Ueki said.

Yuji Akasaka, Chief of Maintenance Department told reporters "The causes vary from case to case, but are human errors. Procedures have become highly systematic, like in any other department, and each step is carried out very accurately. However, inter-procedural human involvement has been weakened," citing lack of inter-personal communication.

Source: Aviation Wire, June 2nd. (in Japanese) 

*Post edited/updated in June 15th.

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