Safety turbulence rocks state air fleet

SANTA FE (KRQE) - Air New Mexico, the state-owned airline for the exclusive use of the political elite, is plagued with safety violations going back years, a News 13 investigation finds.

It's a government scandal the state won't talk about.

"We were directed on late Friday afternoon that we would no longer have an interview with you," James Chavez, acting director of the Transportation Services Division, said when News 13 approached him with a hidden camera.

In 2005, one state official noted, "The driving force in the (Aviation Bureau) seems to be one of making the schedule and disregarding safety and proper operating practices. It is truly a miracle that (they have) not had a serious accident."

A three-month News 13 investigation uncovered a laundry list of blunders and mishaps. There have been airborne mistakes, lack of training, disregard of regulations, inadequate record keeping, unqualified pilots and reckless maintenance failures.

For example, on Aug. 1, 2005, pilots Mike Warren and John Maldonado flew officials across New Mexico in the state's Aero Commander. The pilots were later reprimanded for failing to abort when a "potentially dangerous" electrical problem was discovered mid trip.

By continuing to fly, a supervisor said the pilots "put (their) lives and the lives of (their) passengers at risk."

In 2005, the Aviation Bureau was criticized for a series of dangerous safety lapses:

• A pilot risked a mid-air disaster by knowingly flying the Aero Commander with an unlocked baggage compartment.

• The state airline faced the possibility of tens of thousands in Federal Aviation Administration fines for failing to perform required checks of navigation equipment.

• Pilots recklessly flew passengers in violation of federal regulations by operating the plane with inoperative equipment.

In 2006 a pilot in command of the state jet was reprimanded following a series of midair safety blunders including an unstabilized landing approach and the inadvertent disconnect of the autopilot.

In a 2006 memo, the airline's then-chief pilot was cited for "bizarre and inappropriate behavior." Among the findings? Unfamiliarity with an aircraft flight computer, landing technique and airport procedures. The list goes on and on.

"Aviation is one place you can't cut corners on safety," said retired Delta Airlines Capt. Mike Cox, a safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University who examined some of the documentation News 13 uncovered.

"They are beyond troubling," Cox said of memos he reviewed. "If I was a passenger, state official who was flying in those aircraft I would be very concerned about the qualifications and continued safety of the agency who was operating those aircraft."

The state's dismal airline record came to a head in September when one pilot resigned over New Mexico's failure to address safety issues. News 13 is withholding his identity at his request.

"At times it was to the point where I was concerned about an accident actually happening," the pilot said.

His concerns included unqualified pilots.

"They have used their mechanic as a second-in-command on the aircraft," the pilot said. "In fact they used him when he was a private pilot and very low (flight) time."

The mechanic was not qualified to be second-in-command on state aircraft, he added.

"If he was operating as second-in-command he was in violation," Cox said. "If he was an observer, if this aircraft only required one pilot, he could sit there all day long. But if he's operating a second-in-command he's in violation."

And, during cold winter conditions, state pilots have been known to recklessly cut corners, according to the former state pilot.

"In a couple of cases, instead of de-icing the aircraft, they'll leave it in the hanger, load passengers up, pull it out and try to get it off the runway before they get ice on the aircraft," he said. "Trying to get to the runway before ice builds without de-icing fluid on the aircraft is an accident waiting to happen."

Such an action is both a safety hazard and a violation of federal code, Cox said.

"The aircraft could be unairworthy," he continued. "The safety risk that you are personally taking is enormous."

The former state pilot said he also knew of a case where aircraft on-board radar was not working, and yet pilots flew in conditions requiring instruments.

"You are flying blind in weather without a radar," he said.

Prior to every flight, pilots are required to calculate aircraft weight and balance. In the New Mexico state fleet it may be required, but it's not routine, the former state pilot said.

Without those calculations, pilots don't know for sure that their aircraft is in condition to fly.

"If you are just throwing cargo and passengers on aircraft without taking into any consideration weight and balance issues, you could easily find yourself in a situation where an aircraft couldn't become airborne," Cox said.

And then there's Oct. 17, 2008, when Gov. Bill Richardson was scheduled to fly on the state