FromWayDowntown
04-04-2008, 12:08 PM
Hadn't seen this posted
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA040408.01A.Spursflying.38b6151.html
Concern rises over Spurs' safety
Web Posted: 04/04/2008 12:58 AM CDT
Todd Bensman, Tom Orsborn and Kelly Guckian
Express-News
For the past five years, the Spurs flew aboard Boeing 727 charter planes to other NBA cities around the country cushioned in a luxury befitting VIPs of championship stature.
The players sat in extra plump leather pilot seats situated around tables with plenty of carpeted legroom. They ate gourmet food served by attentive staff and could ease back in front of large movie screens.
But earthly comforts inside Champion Air jets insulated the Spurs from an unseen gremlin. The charter carrier has been running its aged jets on a taut financial shoestring while racking up hundreds of safety and maintenance incidents, according to an examination of Federal Aviation Administration records.
Now, the carrier has announced it will ground its 16-plane fleet for good May 31, a casualty of financial duress and inefficient, fuel-guzzling 30-year-old planes that compete poorly against newer planes.
League and airline officials said the Spurs will continue flying the airline through the playoffs, which begin April 19, or until further notice.
If the airline is financially barren and shutting down, how safe are the Spurs going to be in the air?
Aviation experts warn of a dangerous mix when airlines with old planes are cash starved.
Such airlines, especially charter companies whose operation certificates don't require as much FAA oversight as big commercial airlines, can be tempted to cut corners on scheduled maintenance, replacing worn parts, and keeping up with crew training.
"It all kind of deteriorates," said Richard Stone, a retired commercial pilot of 35 years, former crash investigator and current spokesman for the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. "They try to minimize wherever they can so they get the maximum efficiency out of their money. There's always a danger when you have a marginal operator."
Additionally, the Spurs could be flying Champion Air to playoff games at a time when the FAA is preoccupied responding to disclosures that at least some of the agency's safety inspections programs were compromised by unscrupulous officials.
The FAA, reacting to news reports that it let Dallas-based Southwest Airlines get away with serious safety violations, has sought to restore public confidence by ordering a major inspections regimen that so far has targeted only large commercial airlines.
Are smaller charter carriers like Champion Air about to fall through the cracks at the very time when inspections are needed most?
Safety assurances
Champion Air spokesman Jon Austin said the team and its fans have nothing to worry about in the coming months.
The airline plans to remain conscientious about safety to the end, he said, and FAA inspectors are vigilant even though they're busy elsewhere. The Spurs use the airline heavily, having flown 42 times just since December.
"Champion is a very safe operator, continues to be a safe operator and will be a safe operator all the way up until it discontinues operations," Austin said. "We work with the FAA every day, and we'll continue to do so."
Roland Herwig, an FAA spokesman, said more aggressive oversight of Champion was triggered when the agency became aware of the airline's financial problems not long ago.
"It is, very simply, additional oversight," Herwig said. "It's more of the same, basically, in all respects. If we thought it (Champion Air) was unsafe, we would pull the plug."
There is no indication the Spurs ever were in danger while flying on Champion.
Peter Holt, chairman and CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, said he could not recall a single frightening incident.
"I think everybody's has been pretty pleased," other than a brief problem with the food menu, he said.
But when asked if he was aware of Champion's record of mechanical problems, Holt said: "Whoa! This is kind of news to me. You've caught me by surprise."
The airline has had no accidents or crashes in the five years since it began and the Spurs became a customer. But the airline's planes have accrued what one aviation expert considered to be an unusually large number of "service difficulty" reports.
Of 598 such reports to the FAA of mechanical problems, 169 occurred while Champion planes were preparing for flight or already in the air.
Among these were 63 unscheduled landings, such as one in January 2006 when an engine failed in flight. In six other incidents, engines stalled or failed, causing two aborted takeoffs and another unscheduled landing.
A November 2006 flight had to be delayed and its passengers deplaned when an engine caught fire while still at the gate. In 2004, the crew on a flight to Indianapolis had to declare an emergency when two of the three engines malfunctioned.
The FAA has fined the company $31,500 in three separate incidents and has taken enforcement action an additional 24 times for a variety of problems.
Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation and Safety Board, which investigates plane crashes, told the San Antonio Express-News: "I think the Spurs ought to be on top of the safety responsibilities that the airline has and make sure they are being met. At a time like this, for an airline to announce it's going out of business, and you're continuing to fly that aircraft, this would be a time for them to be proactive."
He suggested that patrons of small charter airlines, which get less oversight even in normal times, check public records and choose carriers very carefully.
"The whole safety system is broken at the moment," Hall said, referring to the credibility problems with FAA inspections.
Herwig of the FAA said the agency audit going on right now is with the large airlines. Asked whether small charters like Champion could get short shrift, Herwig replied: "It's a big FAA. There are lots of inspectors out there taking care of that kind of business also."
Such assurances don't entirely comfort aviation safety experts like Hall and Stone.
"I think there's an unusual amount of problems with the old airplanes. You would expect that," Stone said. "But it's got to be watched carefully. The passengers ought to not be like sheep being put in stalls."
Older planes
The latest incarnation of Champion Air emerged in 2003 when its owner, the then-financially ailing Northwest Airlines, decided to divest older, less fuel-efficient 727s.
Under the corporate umbrella of Grand Holdings Inc., Champion upgraded six of the planes into luxury VIP aircraft and put another 10 in the air as well. The airline found its bread and butter in flying sports teams aboard the VIP aircraft and pressed its other planes into service for corporate clients, tour package wholesalers and federal prisoners.
One of the airline's most prestigious clients was the National Basketball Association, which negotiated a volume discount for its member teams.
The Spurs jumped aboard, along with many other franchises, including the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
But skyrocketing fuel costs, as well as client interest in a resurgent Northwest Airlines and other competitors, was killing the company's bottom line by late last year.
"When you have older 727s with three engines, that's a big operating impact," said Austin, the Champion spokesman. "They burn a lot of fuel."
By October, major clients began abdicating, among them the NBA, which wanted more modern aircraft.
"It's been a great relationship, but we have decided to go with a different type of aircraft that is not currently part of Champion's fleet," NBA spokeswoman Maureen Coylesaid.
Champion executives announced in October that the company would have to close by August unless new investors could be found to finance a new fleet. That didn't happen, and this week Champion announced it would cease operations May 31.
None of Champion's clients is known to have publicly expressed concern about the safety of older aircraft.
But the number of incidents involving service difficulty reports for Champion does strike aviation expert Hall as higher than it should be, although not unexpectedly so for such old planes.
Champion's spokesman, Austin, challenged whether any conclusions can be drawn by looking at FAA data because it is self-reported under requirements that are interpreted many different ways by various carriers.
"I think we have an excellent track record in that," Austin said. "I would put us up against anybody."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA040408.01A.Spursflying.38b6151.html
Concern rises over Spurs' safety
Web Posted: 04/04/2008 12:58 AM CDT
Todd Bensman, Tom Orsborn and Kelly Guckian
Express-News
For the past five years, the Spurs flew aboard Boeing 727 charter planes to other NBA cities around the country cushioned in a luxury befitting VIPs of championship stature.
The players sat in extra plump leather pilot seats situated around tables with plenty of carpeted legroom. They ate gourmet food served by attentive staff and could ease back in front of large movie screens.
But earthly comforts inside Champion Air jets insulated the Spurs from an unseen gremlin. The charter carrier has been running its aged jets on a taut financial shoestring while racking up hundreds of safety and maintenance incidents, according to an examination of Federal Aviation Administration records.
Now, the carrier has announced it will ground its 16-plane fleet for good May 31, a casualty of financial duress and inefficient, fuel-guzzling 30-year-old planes that compete poorly against newer planes.
League and airline officials said the Spurs will continue flying the airline through the playoffs, which begin April 19, or until further notice.
If the airline is financially barren and shutting down, how safe are the Spurs going to be in the air?
Aviation experts warn of a dangerous mix when airlines with old planes are cash starved.
Such airlines, especially charter companies whose operation certificates don't require as much FAA oversight as big commercial airlines, can be tempted to cut corners on scheduled maintenance, replacing worn parts, and keeping up with crew training.
"It all kind of deteriorates," said Richard Stone, a retired commercial pilot of 35 years, former crash investigator and current spokesman for the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. "They try to minimize wherever they can so they get the maximum efficiency out of their money. There's always a danger when you have a marginal operator."
Additionally, the Spurs could be flying Champion Air to playoff games at a time when the FAA is preoccupied responding to disclosures that at least some of the agency's safety inspections programs were compromised by unscrupulous officials.
The FAA, reacting to news reports that it let Dallas-based Southwest Airlines get away with serious safety violations, has sought to restore public confidence by ordering a major inspections regimen that so far has targeted only large commercial airlines.
Are smaller charter carriers like Champion Air about to fall through the cracks at the very time when inspections are needed most?
Safety assurances
Champion Air spokesman Jon Austin said the team and its fans have nothing to worry about in the coming months.
The airline plans to remain conscientious about safety to the end, he said, and FAA inspectors are vigilant even though they're busy elsewhere. The Spurs use the airline heavily, having flown 42 times just since December.
"Champion is a very safe operator, continues to be a safe operator and will be a safe operator all the way up until it discontinues operations," Austin said. "We work with the FAA every day, and we'll continue to do so."
Roland Herwig, an FAA spokesman, said more aggressive oversight of Champion was triggered when the agency became aware of the airline's financial problems not long ago.
"It is, very simply, additional oversight," Herwig said. "It's more of the same, basically, in all respects. If we thought it (Champion Air) was unsafe, we would pull the plug."
There is no indication the Spurs ever were in danger while flying on Champion.
Peter Holt, chairman and CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, said he could not recall a single frightening incident.
"I think everybody's has been pretty pleased," other than a brief problem with the food menu, he said.
But when asked if he was aware of Champion's record of mechanical problems, Holt said: "Whoa! This is kind of news to me. You've caught me by surprise."
The airline has had no accidents or crashes in the five years since it began and the Spurs became a customer. But the airline's planes have accrued what one aviation expert considered to be an unusually large number of "service difficulty" reports.
Of 598 such reports to the FAA of mechanical problems, 169 occurred while Champion planes were preparing for flight or already in the air.
Among these were 63 unscheduled landings, such as one in January 2006 when an engine failed in flight. In six other incidents, engines stalled or failed, causing two aborted takeoffs and another unscheduled landing.
A November 2006 flight had to be delayed and its passengers deplaned when an engine caught fire while still at the gate. In 2004, the crew on a flight to Indianapolis had to declare an emergency when two of the three engines malfunctioned.
The FAA has fined the company $31,500 in three separate incidents and has taken enforcement action an additional 24 times for a variety of problems.
Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation and Safety Board, which investigates plane crashes, told the San Antonio Express-News: "I think the Spurs ought to be on top of the safety responsibilities that the airline has and make sure they are being met. At a time like this, for an airline to announce it's going out of business, and you're continuing to fly that aircraft, this would be a time for them to be proactive."
He suggested that patrons of small charter airlines, which get less oversight even in normal times, check public records and choose carriers very carefully.
"The whole safety system is broken at the moment," Hall said, referring to the credibility problems with FAA inspections.
Herwig of the FAA said the agency audit going on right now is with the large airlines. Asked whether small charters like Champion could get short shrift, Herwig replied: "It's a big FAA. There are lots of inspectors out there taking care of that kind of business also."
Such assurances don't entirely comfort aviation safety experts like Hall and Stone.
"I think there's an unusual amount of problems with the old airplanes. You would expect that," Stone said. "But it's got to be watched carefully. The passengers ought to not be like sheep being put in stalls."
Older planes
The latest incarnation of Champion Air emerged in 2003 when its owner, the then-financially ailing Northwest Airlines, decided to divest older, less fuel-efficient 727s.
Under the corporate umbrella of Grand Holdings Inc., Champion upgraded six of the planes into luxury VIP aircraft and put another 10 in the air as well. The airline found its bread and butter in flying sports teams aboard the VIP aircraft and pressed its other planes into service for corporate clients, tour package wholesalers and federal prisoners.
One of the airline's most prestigious clients was the National Basketball Association, which negotiated a volume discount for its member teams.
The Spurs jumped aboard, along with many other franchises, including the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
But skyrocketing fuel costs, as well as client interest in a resurgent Northwest Airlines and other competitors, was killing the company's bottom line by late last year.
"When you have older 727s with three engines, that's a big operating impact," said Austin, the Champion spokesman. "They burn a lot of fuel."
By October, major clients began abdicating, among them the NBA, which wanted more modern aircraft.
"It's been a great relationship, but we have decided to go with a different type of aircraft that is not currently part of Champion's fleet," NBA spokeswoman Maureen Coylesaid.
Champion executives announced in October that the company would have to close by August unless new investors could be found to finance a new fleet. That didn't happen, and this week Champion announced it would cease operations May 31.
None of Champion's clients is known to have publicly expressed concern about the safety of older aircraft.
But the number of incidents involving service difficulty reports for Champion does strike aviation expert Hall as higher than it should be, although not unexpectedly so for such old planes.
Champion's spokesman, Austin, challenged whether any conclusions can be drawn by looking at FAA data because it is self-reported under requirements that are interpreted many different ways by various carriers.
"I think we have an excellent track record in that," Austin said. "I would put us up against anybody."