Southwest flying "not air worthy" airplanes....

[fryguy]

....and the FAA knew and did nothing about it....

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/06/southwest.planes/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- -- Discount air carrier Southwest Airlines flew thousands of passengers on aircraft federal inspectors said were "unsafe" as recently as last March, according to detailed congressional documents obtained by CNN.

Documents submitted by FAA inspectors to congressional investigators allege the airline flew at least 117 of its planes in violation of mandatory safety checks. In some cases, the documents say, the planes flew for 30 months past government inspection deadlines that should have grounded the planes until the inspections could be completed.

<snip>

The documents obtained by CNN also allege that some management officials at the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency responsible for commercial air safety, knew the planes were flying "unsafely" and did nothing about it.

"The result of inspection failures, and enforcement failure, has meant that aircraft have flown unsafe, unairworthy, and at risk of lives," Oberstar told CNN.

He said both FAA managers and the airline may not only have threatened the safety of Southwest passengers, but may also have broken the law.

<mroe>

[Atman]

1. Yikes...I just flew Southwest out to California and back.

The only thing I found amiss, though, was the bad standup schtick the flight attendants performed during flight preparations. I got to and from safely, they didn't lose my luggage, and each of the four flights (a connection each way) were actually EARLY.

.

[MindPilot]

2. While TSA checks shoes and makes sure no one has over 3oz of shaving cream

The airline laid off the guy who checks that the engine mounting bolts are tight.

Feel safer now?

[jmowreader]

3. They didn't lay him off. He has a new job.

He's the guy who walks through the plane making sure all the passengers meet the new dress code.