Safety takes a small step backward
 

It looks like American Airlines pilot ASAP program may not continue. I am wondering what in the language is the hold up causing it to not be renewed. I would imagine there are valid points to not continue, its just too bad that safety may suffer a bit for this.

American Airlines Pilot ASAP Program to Expire

not really if you read...they will have another asap type program

They will have another program, but it does not say anything about immunity from discipline for those things brought forward. So, people will be hesitant to provide information that could improve safety of the operation. Your information might be confidential from other parties involved in the incident. But it doesn't say anything about it remaining out of managers hands. It might just be that they are intending to run the program the same way as the ASAP program, and I hope that they do. But the info has potential to be used against the pilots.

In the airline I worked for we just recently got an ASAP program for the pilots. Our dispatchers and mechanics had the program before us. So, if something happened involving a combination of pilots and another work group, the other work group would file an ASAP report to cover their butt. The pilots were not able to except for NASA forms. So, the mechanic/dispatcher would make the info available to the FAA and the pilots had potential to be chased down for it.

ASAP programs in jeopardy
 

ALL ASAP programs are in jeopardy. It has to do with the Comair crash in Lexington.

When one of the civil plaintiff attorneys (an ambulance chaser, not an aviation attorney) found out that there is a voluntary program whereby pilot admit their sins (the ASAP program), he petitioned the judge to allow the plaintiff cousel access to these files. Naturally, the defense, composed of several law firms and Comair's own incompetent attorneys, filed a motion to suppress. At this point, ALPA sent in their legal team in support of keeping the ASAP files private. The judge over-ruled. The defense took their appeal to the Kentucky State Supreme Court. The KSC found in favor of the plaintiff. The defense has appealed to the US Supreme Court. However, during this time, the judge handed over EVERY ASAP report ever filed at any airline, NOT just Comair, to the legal teams suing Comair. Guess what, folks. All of those ASAP reports are now public information, and if you file an ASAP, expect anybody to be able to get their hands on your report someday.

Comair has now settled 47 of the 49 cases, and one of the last two is about to be settled very soon. Thus, the comair defense team no longer cares about protecting the privacy of the ASAP program. I'm sure the US Supreme Court has placed the appeal very, very low on their priority list.

Something to think about next time you want to file an ASAP.

Rott

I was not aware of the Comair stuff. That is a major bummer and not just from a safety point; but also the integrity of our information. So we are having a good safety program go down the tubes just so people can get their payday (I guess it is the American way). If this is why they are considering ditching the program at American I can see their reasoning.