Marines to Boost Repair, Safety Rules

[unhappycamper]

Marines to Boost Repair, Safety Rules
March 09, 2009
San Diego Union-Tribune

Blaming preventable errors and oversights for a fatal jet crash in December in San Diego, Marine officials are promising changes that extend from the operations room to the flight line.

The fixes include greater focus on trouble-shooting relatively minor problems before they become severe.

In July, for example, mechanics had found a fuel system glitch in the F/A-18D Hornet that eventually plunged into a University City neighborhood on Dec. 8. The Marine Corps did not ground the plane to make the needed repairs, instead allowing it to be used for 166 more flight hours before it crashed.

Marine officials have since scrapped the "ambiguous" maintenance rules that enabled the aircraft to keep flying, said Col. John Rupp, operations officer for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

He and other senior commanders also want to provide more realistic emergency training for pilots and those on the ground trying to help them. That includes using simulators to present pilots with multiple problems simultaneously.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/March-2009/marines-to-boost-repair-safety-rules.html?col=1186032310810