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A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 20 February 2019
FAA probes Southwest calculations of baggage weight on jets

By The Associated Press An FAA spokesman told statement, “Southwest has
Federal officials have told the AP that the agency implemented controls and
Southwest Airlines to fix opened an investigation in enhanced procedures to
the way it calculates the February 2018. Since then, address our weight and
weight of luggage loaded he said, the FAA directed balance program con-
on flights after finding fre- the airline to develop a cerns, and we’ve shared
quent mistakes during a comprehensive fix to the those measures with the
yearlong investigation. methods and processes FAA.”
Southwest said Tuesday it uses to determine bag- Those changes include
that it has made improve- gage weight. face-to-face verification
ments in its methods for Southwest, based in Dallas, of loading information be-
calculating the weight and asked the agency to close tween employees, controls
balance of loads, and that the investigation. The FAA on revising calculations be-
it isn’t facing enforcement said the agency won’t do fore takeoff, new software
action. so until regulators are satis- and more training.
The airline said that it vol- fied that Southwest’s cor- Southwest said it will begin
untarily reported the issue In this Feb. 5, 2019, file photo Southwest Airlines planes are rections are being applied scanning bags on the tar-
to the Federal Aviation Ad- loaded at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. consistently. mac this year to improve
ministration last year. Associated Press Southwest sought to down- accuracy. Other large U.S.
The FAA investigation was erage weights for bags and front and rear cargo bays. play the investigation, say- airlines already use this
first reported by The Wall passengers, then adds the “It can be extremely criti- ing that a so-called open technology. Southwest’s
Street Journal. actual weight of fuel and cal,” Doug Moss, a retired letter of investigation is a contract with bag handlers
The newspaper said in- freight to calculate each United Airlines pilot, told common way for the FAA did not include a provi-
ternal FAA documents load. Southwest said it also the AP. “If the weight and to discuss safety issues with sion for using scanners until
showed that the airline builds in a safety margin. balance is not calculated an airline. 2016. The airline then spent
made frequent mistakes in The FAA found cases in correctly, you could have Since the investigation time evaluating technol-
calculations and luggage- which the bag load was a flight-control issue.” started, the airline’s pub- ogy and testing scanners
loading practices that more than 1,000 pounds Moss said pilots calculate licity department said in a at a few airports.q
could cause errors when pi- heavier than paperwork the thrust and wing-flap
lots compute their plane’s indicated, the Journal re- settings for takeoff based
takeoff weight. ported. on weight and other fac- Alabama woman who
Southwest told The Asso- Safety experts say pilots tors, and faulty data could
ciated Press that ground might respond incorrectly lead pilots to put the thrust joined Islamic State seeks
workers manually count to an engine emergency settings too low. That could
be critical if an engine fails
and record how many bags if they had inaccurate in- while the plane is still climb- return to U.S.
go on each plane. The air- formation about the distri-
line uses FAA-approved av- bution of weight between ing, he said.
By JAY REEVES
Associated Press
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) —
An Alabama woman who
left home to join the Islamic
State group after becom-
ing radicalized online re-
alized she was wrong and
now wants to return to the
United States, a lawyer for
her family said Tuesday.
Hoda Muthana, 24, regrets
ever aligning herself with
the terrorist organization This undated image provided
and is putting herself at risk by attorney Hassan Shibly
by speaking out against shows Hoda Muthana, an
it from a refugee camp Alabama woman who left
home to join the Islamic State
where she has lived since after becoming radicalized
fleeing the group a few online.
weeks ago, said attorney Associated Press
Hassan Shibly. her family and friends in the
Muthana, who dodged United States to join the Is-
sniper fire and roadside lamic State.
bombs to escape, is ready After fleeing her home in
to pay the penalty for her suburban Birmingham in
actions but wants free- late 2014 and resurfac-
dom and safety for the ing in Syria, Muthana used
18-month-old son she had social media to advo-
with one of two IS fighters cate violence against the
she wed, he said. Both men United States. In the letter,
were killed in combat. Muthana wrote that she
In a handwritten letter re- didn’t understand the im-
leased by Shibly, Muthana portance of freedoms pro-
wrote that she made “a vided by the United States
big mistake” by rejecting at the time.q