Air Georgian and Air Canada

[Longtimer]

Contractor that operates thousands of Air Canada flights had faulty maintenance, safety-management: federal investigation

The failings helped trigger a landing-gear breakdown and tense emergency landing in Calgary two years ago, the probe concluded

Air Georgian's head offices at Toronto Lester B. Pearson Airport on Monday October 16, 2017.Peter J. Thompson/NATIONAL







A company that provides thousands of Air Canada-branded flights annually had flawed safety-management, quality-control and maintenance systems, which helped trigger a landing-gear breakdown and tense emergency landing two years ago, a federal investigation has concluded.

No one was injured when the Air Canada Express flight touched down at Calgary airport in July 2016, the front gear failing to extend and the aircraft’s nose scraping along the runway for 20 seconds.

But the recent Transportation Safety Board report concluded the malfunctioning gear was the result of longstanding, systemic problems at Air Georgian Ltd., the sub-contractor that operated that flight, and runs 62,000 others for Air Canada yearly.

“When we see a rudimentary maintenance element not being done correctly for a long period of time, at a company that’s offering this level of service for fare-paying passengers in Canada, that is a concern,” said John Lee, the TSB’s Western regional manager. “We’re not doing it to run Air Georgian out of business … The point is to ensure they can do the best job they can.”

The report also criticizes Transport Canada, saying the regulator relies too much on evaluating companies’ internal “safety management systems” (SMS) and not enough on inspecting their actual safety performance.





When we see a rudimentary maintenance element not being done correctly for a long period of time, at a company that’s offering this level of service for fare-paying passengers in Canada, that is a concern



It noted that the department had for several years given Air Georgian a “high-risk” rating, but still focused just on reviewing its SMS, “rather than regulatory compliance.”

A high-risk designation — used by Transport Canada to determine how often it inspects an airline — can reflect neutral factors such as a recent fleet expansion or personnel changes, as well as actual problems, noted Lee.

Meanwhile, Air Georgian fired back at the safety agency itself, complaining that the investigator pre-judged the case, bullied some Georgian employees and was discriminatory toward workers whose first language was not English, according to a company memo obtained by the National Post.

The TSB indicated it provided sensitivity training to the investigator but otherwise dismissed the complaints, leaving the company “very disappointed,” the memo says.

“We stand by our complaints and believe many of the elements in the report to be biased,” said the note. “We believe the TSB fell well short of their mandate (and) will continue to advocate for the rights of our employees. We are committed to providing a respectful and harassment-free workplace that celebrates the diversity that makes our great company what it is.”

Lee said the safety board reviewed the complaints thoroughly, but did not change any of its findings as a result.

Through lawyer Rocco DiPucchio, Air Georgian told the Post it has already taken action to respond to issues raised by the board and “will not hesitate” to do more if necessary. Meanwhile, its safety-audit results put it in the top-tier of airlines, he said.

DiPucchio also said it would be “inaccurate and misleading” to suggest the report applied to anything more than just the landing-gear lubrication issue on which it focused.

But Lee said the findings do raise broader concerns, as “the system that didn’t catch that lubrication task is the same system that oversees other, maybe more serious maintenance activities as well.”

A spokesman for Air Canada said the carrier is confident that Georgian has addressed the matters raised by the investigation, and that it meets all international safety standards.


We stand by our complaints and believe many of the elements in the report to be biasedtwitter_solo.svg

A National Post investigation last year reported the concerns of several current and former crew members about Georgian’s safety approach, including allegations that it delayed fixing defective plane parts and discouraged reporting of problems.

The company responded at the time that it had passed numerous safety audits, and that the criticisms were fabricated, coming in part from disgruntled ex-employees.

The TSB report looked at a Georgian Beechcraft 1900 D propeller aircraft, carrying 15 passengers from Lethbridge, Alta., to Calgary in July 2016. Unable to fully extend the gear, the pilots made an emergency landing, the plane coming to a safe stop after sliding on its nose.

The board blamed that the nose-gear problem on a lack of lubrication, which caused a bolt to seize and break.

It went on to list a number of issues contributing to the lubrication error, including inadequate maintenance procedures and training and internal systems that did not detect potential maintenance problems.

During the investigation, the company found improperly lubricated landing gear on several aircraft that its safety-management, quality assurance and quality-control programs had failed to uncover, the report said.

Airlines in Canada have been required to have safety-management systems in place since 2005, the idea being to add another, internal layer of vigilance.

But critics say Transport Canada has increasingly relied on paper evaluations of those company-run systems, while scaling back its own in-person, surprise inspections.

In the Georgian case, that approach meant that the “ineffective lubrication processes” went undiscovered in three Transport Canada inspections before the Calgary incident, the safety board said.

The department defended its approach, noting that it oversees one of the safest aviation sectors in the world. Safety-management systems offer an extra level of prevention, but in now way replace scrutiny by the regulator, said spokeswoman Marie-Anyk Côté. http://nationalpost.com/news/contractor ... p+Stories)

[Xonga013]

Thread deletion in 3,2,1

[goingnowherefast]

Can't quote reliable news agencies or the TSB on avcanada anymore if it's not favourable to a certain company. Might as well change the web address to avgeorgian.ca

[Longtimer]

Well it is now the 23rd ,,,, thread still active except for any replies that are on topic.

[C-GOYR]

I guess TC will now monitor the maintenance more carefully instead of just relying on what they are told by the company.

[momnosam7]

I guess TC will now monitor the maintenance more carefully instead of just relying on what they are told by the company.

Not the hotel business OYR. But for perspective AGL is audited by AC, IATA and TC. Not sure if you have ever been through an IATA audit .... but .... oh wait I know you haven't. Not really the way it works.

[C-GOYR]

“Not the hotel business OYR. But for perspective AGL is audited by AC, IATA and TC. Not sure if you have ever been through an IATA audit .... but .... oh wait I know you haven't. Not really the way it works.”

You’re right about me never going through an IATA audit. It sure is interesting how the audits didn’t uncover the deficiencies outlined in the report.

I’m all ears if you’re kind enough to enlighten me as to how none of the agencies auditing, found nothing wrong with the way their maintenance was being done. I’m aware no one is perfect however, the report pointed to a lot of questionable practices.

BTW, I have no vested interest in talking down or bashing AGL. It just seems like a bit more oversight would have prevented the incident in Calgary.

[MrTurbine]

AGL is a ticking time bomb. Too many horror stories , many of them, oh so recent. Sadly, just a matter of time until they are renamed “ six feet under “

[Craig1983]

This is funny because the ads in between the posts here right now are all for GGN AMEs for me

[North Shore]

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