ID :
44662
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 17:31
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/44662
The shortlink copeid
Unqualified Qantas engineer stood down
(AAP) - Qantas said it was reviewing the work of an engineer it has suspended for performing maintenance work on aircraft that he was not qualified to do.
This comes after the airline came under scrutiny when another Qantas engineer in
Sydney was jailed last year when he was found to have faked his way into an aircraft
engineer's job.
A Qantas spokeswoman said the most recent incident involved an aircraft maintenance
engineer who was qualified to undertake B767 maintenance work, but not to certify
the work of other similarly qualified engineers.
"We are taking this matter extremely seriously and immediately launched a
comprehensive investigation in association with CASA (Civil Aviation Safety
Authority)," the Qantas spokeswoman said.
She said the engineer was stood down immediately, his access to all Qantas
engineering facilities was suspended and his employment was now terminated.
"We do not believe there are any flight safety issues," she said.
"Our investigations include a thorough check of all work certified by the employee
and where necessary, the work will be re-certified."
CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said it had ordered the airline to check all of the
qualifications of its licensed air craft maintenance engineers following this latest
incident.
Mr Gibson said it would consider further action following an investigation into the
matter.
"We will get more information from Qantas in coming days as to this particular
matter, "he said.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association slammed the aviation
regulator over this latest case saying it should have taken action after the initial
incident.
"At the moment we have got a number of aircraft running around the world that have
been checked and certified by this engineer and he doesn't have the qualifications.
Who knows where that could lead?" ALAEA federal secretary Steve Purvinas said.
"We're concerned about others that may have slipped through the net as well."
The previous incident involved Timothy Leslie McCormack, who had conducted 30
maintenance checks on planes leaving Sydney over 10 months before it was discovered
he had forged a maintenance engineer's licence.
The 27-year-old received a maximum jail term of three years and five months in
December 2008.
This comes after the airline came under scrutiny when another Qantas engineer in
Sydney was jailed last year when he was found to have faked his way into an aircraft
engineer's job.
A Qantas spokeswoman said the most recent incident involved an aircraft maintenance
engineer who was qualified to undertake B767 maintenance work, but not to certify
the work of other similarly qualified engineers.
"We are taking this matter extremely seriously and immediately launched a
comprehensive investigation in association with CASA (Civil Aviation Safety
Authority)," the Qantas spokeswoman said.
She said the engineer was stood down immediately, his access to all Qantas
engineering facilities was suspended and his employment was now terminated.
"We do not believe there are any flight safety issues," she said.
"Our investigations include a thorough check of all work certified by the employee
and where necessary, the work will be re-certified."
CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said it had ordered the airline to check all of the
qualifications of its licensed air craft maintenance engineers following this latest
incident.
Mr Gibson said it would consider further action following an investigation into the
matter.
"We will get more information from Qantas in coming days as to this particular
matter, "he said.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association slammed the aviation
regulator over this latest case saying it should have taken action after the initial
incident.
"At the moment we have got a number of aircraft running around the world that have
been checked and certified by this engineer and he doesn't have the qualifications.
Who knows where that could lead?" ALAEA federal secretary Steve Purvinas said.
"We're concerned about others that may have slipped through the net as well."
The previous incident involved Timothy Leslie McCormack, who had conducted 30
maintenance checks on planes leaving Sydney over 10 months before it was discovered
he had forged a maintenance engineer's licence.
The 27-year-old received a maximum jail term of three years and five months in
December 2008.
