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COURTESY PHOTO
A Hawaiian Air Boeing 767 with winglets is seen at the Honolulu International Airport on Nov. 4
The Federal Aviation Administration said that Hawaiian Airlines went eight years without properly inspecting components of one of its planes used for commercial flights, and proposed a fine of nearly $548,000 for the airline.
The agency said on Monday that the Honolulu-based airline did not comply with a July 2000 directive that required inspections of specific engine thrust reverser components. The directive was intended to prevent a portion of the thrust reverser from coming off in flight, which could cause a rapid decompression of the aircraft.
According to the FAA, a July 2012 inspection found that Hawaiian Airlines’ records indicated that the directive did not apply to the aircraft, and the airline operated a Boeing 767-300 on more than 5,000 flights between July 2004 and July 2012 when it was out of compliance.
The agency also said that Hawaiian flew the aircraft on 14 passenger flights after the agency alerted the carrier, and failed to keep records on the directive for the aircraft.
Airline and FAA officials said the company asked for an informal meeting to discuss the matter.
An airline spokeswoman declined comment on the allegations.
