ð AJN 02NOV98 14:45 UTC ð
*** AirTran, a.k.a. ValuJet Back in the News with Crash in Atlanta Tonight
The beleaguered AirTran, who has been trying to shake its alter ego's
past reputation is in the news again with yet another crash. According
to reports, an AirTran Boeing 737 en route to Dallas, returned to Atlanta
after detected hydraulic problems. Upon landing, AirTran Flight 867
lost steering and skidded off the runway hitting a mound of earth
collapsing its nose gear. According to WAGA-TV, "The aircraft is
straddling a ditch and the back of the aircraft is on a taxi way."
The flight had 100 passengers and five crew on board who evacuated
the Boeing 737 through the rear emergency exits. A passenger told
WAGA-TV, "We saw smoke coming out of the aircraft just behind where
the wing attaches to the fuselage on the left-hand side. Some people
reported seeing flames there just after we touched the ground.
The plane was essentially lying on the ground against the hillside,
so it was only about a two foot drop from the doors to the ground."
There have been various reports on the number of injuries, but it appears
there were at least 11 minor injuries with 10 treated at the hospital.
According to the FAA, the jet was evacuated using the aircraft's emergency
slides after hitting a berm on the runway.
AirTran operates a mix of 50 aircraft. Before the AirTran - ValuJet merger,
AirTran operated 11 737s while Atlanta based ValuJet operated 52 aging DC-9
series aircraft. ValuJet came under immense scrutiny after the crash into
the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996 killing all 110 on board. It was
later determined illegally loaded oxygen generators created an intense
fire in the cargo hold of the ill-fated DC-9.
The ValuJet crash became a high profile inter-agency battle after reports
of ValuJet's safety record surfaced. High ranking FAA officials reported
that the airline was "safe to fly" while internal FAA investigations reported
otherwise. The Office of the Inspector General went public when it was
apparent the FAA had been misleading the public.
ValuJet ultimately had its air carrier certificate pulled. They were forbidden
to resume flight operations until an intense FAA inspection cleared them for
take-off. However, under an agreement with the FAA, the airline was allowed
to only operate at a fraction of its original schedule. ValuJet had quickly
expanded after its initial start-up several years ago -- Too quick according to
many safety experts. ValuJet had a number of incidents and accidents prior to
the Everglades' crash causing grave concern for conscientious FAA inspectors
however, their concerns were apparently ignored in favor of business interest.
Many low cost, start-up airlines felt the impact of the ValuJet crash, including
Orlando based AirTran. Both investors and passengers remained cautious while
the publicity of the long drawn out crash recovery efforts, and revelations of
ValuJet's safety record remained in the headlines for months.
Many believe the AirTran - ValuJet merger was an attempt to hide ValuJet's
past by using another airline's name in hopes of erasing the stigma associated
with the very high profile ValuJet moniker. So far, this merger has not been as
stealthy as the Corporate offices had hoped. Safety concerns still exist at
AirTran/ValuJet regardless of the name de jour.
AirTran trades on the NYSE as AAIR. ValuJet had ordered up to 50 new MD-95s which
later became the Boeing 717 after Boeing took over McDonnell Douglas. AirTran is
to be the launch customer for the new Boeing 717. AirTran's web site can been seen
at (http://www.valujet.com). AJN
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