History Of Fatalities, Faa Safety Write-UPS -- Ameriflight Was Once Suspended For Violations

Airplanes operated by Ameriflight Inc. have been involved in numerous accidents in the past decade.

Since 1987, the Burbank, Calif.-based company has had 11 accidents and three incidents on record with the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB defines an accident as a flight in which an aircraft is damaged or occupants are injured or killed. An incident is defined as an occurrence other than an accident that affects or could affect operation of the craft or its safety.

Of the 14 NTSB incidents and accidents, four were attributed to pilot error, according to the NTSB.

In addition, during the same period, Ameriflight was cited 42 times by the Federal Aviation Administration for safety violations generally less serious than the NTSB citations.

The company's most serious discipline came in 1988, when the FAA suspended its flight operations immediately after finding major violations of federal safety regulations.

At the time, the FAA charged that Ameriflight had operated aircraft "in an unairworthy condition."

On one plane, it said, an inspection procedure that is required every 100 flight hours was not completed until after 10,425 flight hours. An inspector also found 16 missing and damaged parts on one plane. Another plane had three cracked engine cylinders and defective stabilizer controls.

The agency also alleged that the company failed to keep records documenting required maintenance of its planes and in several cases had improperly converted passenger compartments into cargo areas.

The FAA said its action was based on inspections of Ameriflight facilities in Seattle, Burbank and Oakland, Calif., and Salt Lake City.

FAA spokesman Mitch Barker in Seattle declined comment on what safety measures Ameriflight followed to have the suspension lifted.

Five deaths in four crashes

Since the FAA reprimand in 1988, there have been at least four fatal crashes involving Ameriflight planes, according to the NTSB.

-- In December 1995, two experienced pilots died when their twin-engine Piper Chieftain crashed during a midnight proficiency test over the San Jose, Calif., area.

-- In November 1994, a pilot died in Avenal, Calif., after losing radar contact in a Beechcraft 99 and crashing for unknown reasons.

-- In March 1994, a plane en route to Oakland crashed into a mountain at 8,500 feet at night, killing the pilot. The NTSB ruled pilot error because of lack of attentiveness.

-- In September 1989, a propeller broke loose from a twin-engine cargo plane shortly after takeoff from Ontario's airport

in Southern California; the pilot died in the crash.

In addition, an Ameriflight pilot was injured in 1991 in a forced landing caused by improperly installed spark plugs that caused the plane to lose power upon takeoff in Anaheim, Calif.

And in November 1989, a Costa Mesa, Calif., pilot escaped injury when she landed her Piper Lance single-engine plane in a Chino, Calif., field after the plane lost power.

Firm has 500 daily departures

Ameriflight specializes in moving small packages and financial documents in primarily small, propeller-driven planes. It flies 165 planes now, including the 21 added in a July merger with Sports Air Travel of Troutdale, Ore.

The company runs 500 daily departures, totals 110,000 annual flight hours and has 560 employees. It operates a mixed fleet of Beechcraft 99s and 1900s, Cessna Caravans, Fairchild Expediters and Metros, and flies in 30 states, Canada and Mexico.

From its inception in 1968 to 1987, the company was known as California Air Charter.

The company opened an office at Boeing Field in 1985, and has been flying out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport since May 1996, said Karen Seagle, an Ameriflight spokeswoman.

Warren Dignen, operations manager for Ameriflight's Seattle office and hangar at Boeing Field, said the hangar houses turboprop twin-engines, but no jets.

`Very good' partner to UPS

Pilots for Ameriflight are required to have a minimum of 1,500 hours' flight experience, Seagle said.

"We always look for the best-qualified people with experience and skill, just like any company does."

A pair of UPS management personnel outside the Ameriflight office said it is one of their main subcontractors out of Seattle, and that the pilots generally have a solid reputation for safety, but that many are trying to earn flight hours to advance to better-paying jobs.

Al Rapp, human-resources manager at UPS in Seattle, said Ameriflight is a "very good business partner," which carries packages for UPS year-round, in addition to during the ongoing strike.

Luke Timmerman's phone message number is 206-515-5695. His e-mail address is: ltim-new@seatimes.com