United Airlines last month sent its pilots a memo that it called "brutally honest," regarding a spate of incidents that the Chicago-based carrier categorized as being "major safety events and near-misses."
The Jan. 9 memo sent by Howard Attarian, senior vice president of flight operations, and Mike Quiello, vice president of corporate safety, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and later obtained by ABC News.
The stern memo - with the subject line "SAFETY ALERT: Significant safety concerns" - communicated to pilots a series of incidents, or events, that United said were "preventable." They included two events in close proximity to terrain (one resulting in a pull-up maneuver being executed); an Undesired Aircraft State on departure; and a low fuel state on arrival after a deviation from a Sabre Flight Plan routing.
"The common thread with all of these is that they are preventable," Attarian and Quiello wrote. "We must ask ourselves, 'Do we have our priorities in line every time we put on our uniforms and strap into the airplane?' "
The memo also referenced the 2013 crash of a United Parcel Service cargo plane that killed two in Birmingham, Alabama, a crash later blamed on pilot error.
Here is the full memo as obtained by ABC News:
Date: January 9, 2015
SAFETY ALERT: Significant safety concerns
Recent events in our operation have dictated that we communicate with all of you immediately. Over the past few weeks, our airline has experienced what we would categorize as major safety events and near-misses.
In Flight Operations we have seen two events in close proximity to terrain (one resulting in a GPWS pull-up maneuver), an Undesired Aircraft State on departure and a low fuel state on arrival after a deviation from a Sabre Flight Plan routing.
The common thread with all of these is that they are preventable. We must ask ourselves, "Do we have our priorities in line every time we put on our uniforms and strap into the airplane?" While the airline industry always seems to be in a state of flux, the one constant for all of us is that we are professional aviators with the common goal of flying our passengers and crew from point A to point B SAFELY.
Another common thread to some of these events is a lack of attention to disciplined Crew Resource Management. Every time we enter the cockpit with the intention of performing our pilot duties, we evaluate risk. Every pilot must be willing to speak up if safety is in question. In the same vein, every pilot must also accept the input of their fellow crewmembers on the flight deck. In most cases, one of the pilots recognizes an unsafe situation. In some cases, a pilot's input is ignored. This is unacceptable.
The recent CFIT accident in Birmingham involving another carrier underscores how quickly things can unravel. The approach and landing appeared normal to the pilots until right before impact. Let's not for a moment think something like that could not happen at United.
We are currently seeing a lot of movement in the pilot group, such as retirements, seat movements and new hires, that -- while welcome -- introduces significant risk to the operation. While no one ever shows up to work with the goal of intentionally making a mistake, we are human and mistakes happen. What we can control is how we conduct ourselves on each and every flight. If you have ever used the term "Standard Brief" before departure, you have not complied with an SOP. If you have ever exceeded Stabilized Approach Criteria intentionally and not executed a go-around, you are not in compliance.
We know this is a brutally honest message and the tendency may be to rationalize why compliance is not occurring in some areas. Bottom line: United is at a critical juncture in its history and we as aviators must adhere to the policies and procedures outlined in the Flight Manuals, FOM, WOM and ALPA Code of Ethics. Reviewing, understanding, and complying with the guidance in company manuals is imperative to returning ourselves, our fellow crewmembers and passengers to their families safely. This is our top priority and greatest responsibility, and we appreciate in advance your continued commitment and cooperation.
Fly safe.
Howard Attarian, Sr. Vice President Flight Operations
Michael Quiello, Vice President Corporate Safety
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