The American Airlines pilots’ union is warning of a “significant spike” in safety-related problems

In a warning to American Airlines pilots, their union, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), said it has seen “a significant spike in safety and maintenance-related issues across our operation.”

The union claims that among the ‘problematic trends’ it has monitored include tools being left in the wheels of wheels, an increasing number of collisions between aircraft while being towed, an increasing number of objects being left in the safety zone at jet bridges left behind and ‘pressure on aircraft’. to return aircraft to scheduled service to maintain on-time performance due to a lack of spare parts.”

CBS News has obtained photos of a hammer that the APA says was found in the wheel well of an Airbus A319 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on March 25 before Flight 1654 took off for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. According to the APA, the flight’s first officer discovered it during his pre-flight walk and notified the captain. The captain called maintenance, who in turn inspected the aircraft and found a “Channellock pliers and screwdriver also located in the wheel well.” The union says there were no outstanding maintenance actions when the tool was found.

In a message to union members Monday, APA President Captain Ed Sicher said: “We met with (US) senior management earlier this month to discuss the operational hazards we identified. … We now have management’s full attention. commitment to involve the union earlier in the Safety Risk Assessment (SRA) process, and we are also seeking a commitment that APA will have a seat at the table throughout the quality assurance process… Management’s initial response to our concerns has been encouraging.”

American, based in Fort Worth, Texas, said: “Safety at every airline is a shared mission, and that is especially true at American. Our robust safety program is guided by our industry-leading safety management system,” including collaboration with regulators and its unions.

While the Federal Aviation Administration did not comment directly on the issues raised by the APA, it said it “requires all U.S. airlines to have safety management systems (SMS) in place that allow them to identify potential hazards early , monitor and address them before they become serious problems.”

Complaints about mechanics being pressured to quickly return aircraft to service are not new at American, as CBS News reported in 2019.

United Airlines is currently the subject of an FAA audit after a series of concerning incidents, including: wheel falls off a Boeing 777 as it took off from San Francisco and aerodynamically panel that flew from a 737 on a flight from San Francisco to Medford, Oregon.

“Although United Airlines is currently under public and government scrutiny, it could just as easily be American Airlines,” the APA memo said.

The union safety committee urged pilots not to rush or be intimidated “and not to be pressured into doing anything that does not pass the ‘smell test’. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s safe.”