When it comes to ethical behavior in aviation, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the catastrophic consequences of what can happen when maintenance is done incorrectly or not done at all. During my time in the Air Force, the term "pencil-whip" was all too common. Pencil-whipping refers to the act of signing off inspections or maintenance tasks without actually doing them. As a former engines troop on the flightline, part of my job responsibilities includes doing periodic borescope inspections at varying hourly intervals on the GE F110-129 engine. Several of the engine's borescope ports were in locations with very limited access, that required being safety wired upon reinstallation. I've worked with several other airmen would pencil those inspections and even get mad at me when I would do the inspections myself. Their argument was always that if they scoped the fan stages forward of and the compressor stages aft of the borescope port without finding damage there was probably not any damage on that certain stage. To me this is a lazy excuse that brings into question these individuals ethics. While borescoping certain ports can be mildly inconvenient, it's no excuse to gamble with a pilot's safety. As aviation maintenance technicians it's our responsibility to ensure that our work is done to the highest level of quality and safety possible, because we are the last line of defense when it comes to ensuring that aircrafts are maintained to their original, reliable state. You need to have the attitude that every time you perform maintenance, someone's life could be on the line.

The article I'll be talking about refers to a crash that happened on October 17th, 2019, in Unalaska, Alaska. The accident occurred during an attempted landing of a Saab SA-2000, in which the plane crashed through a perimeter fence, crossed a road, and came to a rest on the shore of the harbor, resulting in one death and nine injuries, (National Transportation Safety Board, 2021). The cause of the accident was revealed to be several different factors. Firstly, the pilot chose to land during tailwinds that exceed the manufacturers operating limits of that model, resulting in a higher-than-normal landing speed. Secondly, the planes sensors for the anti-skid system were improperly wired during a previous overhaul of the left main landing gear, resulting in the skidding and bursting of one of the tires, and subsequent pressure loss on two of the three remaining tires, (National Transportation Safety Board, 2021). The loss of braking ability prevented the pilot to be able to stop in time to avoid the crash. This tragedy is a prime example of what can happen when aviation professionals don't have the ethical integrity to do their job with safety above everything else. Everything we do in aviation can cause a life or death situational for others and ourselves and should be treated as such.

Reference:

Maintenance Error Leads to Fatal Runway Overrun Accident (2021) National Safety Transportation Board https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/mr20211102b.aspxLinks to an external site.

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