American flies non ETOPS A321 to Hawaii from LAX

Probably the first time either pilot has flown etops operations and they were probably trained by a memo.

 

We all know that ETOPS means Engines Turn Or People Swim. No problem.

 

I was looking at the FAA's list of enforcement actions and it's shocking to see how many people are fined on a regular basis. Makes you wonder why.

 

Be careful looking at such items. Make sure it is a violation of real underlying substance not just a BS paperwork. This is particularly true with maintenance facilities. The FAA can sit in a nice air conditioned office and go through piles of papers looking for discrepancies without ever looking at what is happening on the aircraft; no getting dirty or sweaty this way.

Great paperwork does not necessarily equate to quality of work on the aircraft.

 

I'm just taking a guess, but I believe the aircraft was ETOPS certified, but not current. ETOPS requires routine inspections just for that. I think they did a tail swap for one reason or another and the dispatcher didn't know that the ETOPS inspection hadn't been completed which is a function of the maintenance department.

 

My guess is a repair on the landing gear door where the ETOPS logo was applied was swapped somehow..

 

Remember, all things being equal, a twin is only 50% as likely to experience an engine failure as a 4-engine and a single only 50% as likely vs a twin. Therefore to minimize your exposure to risk of engine failure on long over water flights only fly singles!