FAA Proposes $1.5M Fine Against Northwest Airlines

Federal regulators are proposing a fine of almost $1.5 million against Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlines because it didn’t inspect wires near the cockpit windows on some of its planes.

The proposed civil penalty has its roots in a 1990 order by the Federal Aviation Administration to inspect the wires in the heating system for the cockpit windows in its Boeing 757s. The FAA says that if the wires are too small, they could overheat and possibly cause a fire.

However, the inspection didn’t get included in Northwest’s maintenance manual. The FAA says Northwest continued to fly some of the planes even after the problem was discovered in May 2008. Delta Air Lines Inc. bought Northwest later that year.

The airline has 30 days to respond to the FAA.

Topics Aviation Aerospace