The recent crash of an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane, a Boeing 767, near Miami has drawn attention to past safety allegations against the operator, North Carolina-based 21 Air. Five individuals tragically lost their lives in this incident.
Company Background and Ownership
21 Air, the airline contracted by Amazon, is linked to Houston Astros owner Jim Crane via an LLC. There have been claims from former employees concerning safety lapses, as revealed in legal documents and interviews conducted by CBS News.
Claims by Former Employees
Karl Seuring, a pilot with over 30 years of experience, has stated that complaints about safety were ignored by management. Seuring’s complaint about his retaliatory firing was dismissed by OSHA, prompting an appeal and ongoing tribunal at the Department of Labor.
Records from former pilots suggest that safety reports were often suppressed, crews were pushed to fly without sufficient rest, and pilots lacking proficiency in English were employed. This led to further concerns about the state of the aircraft.
Impact of Management Practices
Bruce Joseph, a former chief pilot, testified about being dissuaded from recording safety concerns. He alleged directives to avoid entering data into the safety system prior to consulting with CEO Mike Mendez.
Reports of pressure on pilots, short layovers, and requests to sign inaccurate safety attestations have surfaced. These allegations highlight a culture that may have prioritized operational efficiency over safety.
Incidents Leading to Safety Concerns
Seuring recounted an April 2022 incident where a mechanical issue led a Boeing 767 to accelerate excessively after takeoff from Newark. He noted a lack of communication between crew members regarding the episode.
Other claims involve a pressurization problem in a flight from Alabama to Trinidad, necessitating an emergency landing. Disagreements exist between those involved as to whether the incident occurred. Communication breakdowns and alleged firing due to safety concerns have been reported.
Response from the Company
21 Air has not commented on the allegations, but on its website, it affirmed its cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
Amazon, meanwhile, has conveyed its sorrow over the tragedy and its collaboration with authorities, noting that these allegations predate its business relationship with 21 Air.
Past Incidents
Tony Bless, a former pilot with 21 Air, remarked on the longstanding anticipation of such a crash, attributing it to maintenance deferments and subpar pilot hiring practices. Bless shared experiences of technical failures and safety scares during flights.
Accounts from Seuring and other pilots reveal frequent challenges, including radar, fuel, and avionics problems, and efforts by the union to provide adequate rest for crews on extended flights.
Looking Ahead
The NTSB’s ongoing investigation seeks answers from the aircraft’s black box data. With pilot identification confirmed, the examination delves into potential causality between past safety allegations and the Miami crash.
The crash involved plane overshooting, hitting members of a cleaning crew near the runway. Former officials suggest pivotal insights may emerge from onboard audio, logs, and mechanical evaluations.
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