United Airlines sends stern memo to pilots outlining flight errors

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Several serious incidents in the cockpit triggered a written warning from United Airlines to it pilots. The company memo chastised the people at the controls of the planes about safety in the skies.

The internal message to all United pilots went out early last month, but was later leaked. The blunt, forceful memo came in the aftermath of several incidents that the airline's flight operations bosses referred to as "major safety events and near misses."

The message refers to a number of recent events, including one in which a United flight landed with a low fuel level after the pilot deviated from his prescribed route. Two other incidents involved United planes that got cockpit terrain warnings - one serious enough to activate an on board ground proximity warning which tells the pilot to pull up.

The message to pilots says those incidents were "preventable", and goes on to ask "Do we have our priorities in line every time we put on our uniform and strap into the airplane?"

United is not commenting on the incidents themselves, where or when they occurred- though the date of the message suggests they may have occurred in December or November.

It also refers to the August 2013 crash of a UPS cargo jet in Birmingham, which hit short of the runway. Investigators blamed it on human error by pilot and co-pilot, both of whom were killed. The message says, "Let's not for a moment think that something like that could not happen at United."

The authors call the message "brutally honest." It is in many respects a strongly worded wake-up call that says we've seen a spike in human errors that are preventable, so let's follow the book and don't let them happen.

A United spokesman says the message to pilots was open, direct, meant to be proactive, in keeping with safety as their first concern.

There are four incidents mentioned in the letter to pilots, and are described in very general terms.

Against the backdrop of 75,000 flights a month at United, four is pretty small. But clearly when the flight ops people are calling them major safety events, they are not to be ignored, thus the letter to pilots.

FULL TEXT OF UNITED AIRLINES MEMO:

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