I could not believe it when I read this article in the Dallas Observer Blog, Unfair Park. Flight attendants hear strange rattling and ripping after a plane takes off from DFW en route to Paris, pilots and dispatch both agree that it's okay to fly even after flight attendants insist that something didn't sound right. Upon arriving in Paris it appears that a piece of the fuselage had ripped off on take off. What the fuck!?
Why did the pilots think the noise and rattling was a-ok but the flight attendants didnt? Did anyone in the control tower at DFW not see a piece of the plane fall off of it on take off?
American Airlines has the oldest fleet in the nation with an average aircraft age of 14 years. I must admit, sometimes I get on a plane in Dallas and based on how some of AA's aircraft look I wonder if we're going to make it. What's even worse is that this story is nowhere to be found in mainstream media even though it deserves attention.
I find it terribly ironic that passengers are subject to vigilant security screening but lately there have been signs that the mechanical inspection of our aircraft in this country takes a back seat. I think the terrorists are the least of our problems right now.
Makes me think of a quote from the recent Iron Man movie: "...I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero-accountability."
AA Flight 48, From DFW to Paris, Sounds Like One Hell of a trip