From today's Santo Domingo newspaper Listin Diario (my translation):
Civil Aeronautics (Division) reveals failures in three American Airlines aircraft
Official assures that today's security actions are more strict.
ROBERTO BRITO
SANTO DOMINGO.-
This aircraft of the US airliner could not take off due to an advisory.
The director of Civil Aeronaturics, retired general Trajano Moreta Cuevas, said yesterday that this agency found this week mechanical failures in three American Airlines aircraft, which led him to direct them to not fly out of fear that another disaster similar to the NY one would occur, where 246 died, 155 of them Dominicans.
The official affirmed that another aircraft from the US airline was in the Las Americas terminal and could not fly to the US due to mechanical problems.
He indicated that the inspections of the aircraft that enter and leave the Dominican Republic are now more minute and more frequent since the last happenings in the US. Moreta Cuevas explained to Listin Diario that after the 11 September terrorist attacks, when the planes were hijacked and crashed in suicide acts, and now with the accidnet in Queens, people are more aware and watchful about the slightest problem with an aircraft.
He indicated that inspectors that work in this country and that provide service to the airports of the country check requently planes that fly to various destinations, international as well as national.
(snip some material assuring the public that they are now doing careful checks, airplanes are still the safest way to fly, etc)
The Civil Aeronaturics official affirmed that after the mechanical faults found on the planes, they demanded of the airline company that they replace the planes so the passengers would not remain stranded.
One of the planes, he said, had an oil leak from one of the engines and another had a problem with the warning light for the landing gear.
He indicated that the problems were fixed by technicians from the airline that came from the US, after they sent another plane to transport passengers that were to fly in the grounded plane.
listin.com.do |
