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| ValuJet | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| IATA J7 |
ICAO VJA |
Callsign CRITTER |
| Founded | 1993 | |
| Ceased Operation | 1997 (merged into AirTran Airways) | |
| Hubs | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport | |
| Focus cities | Orlando International Airport Boston Logan International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport Philadelphia International Airport |
|
| Fleet size | 56 | |
| Destinations | 28 | |
| Parent company | ValuJet Airlines | |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Key people | Robert Priddy (Chairman) Maurice Gallahger (CEO & President) |
|
| Website: http://www.valujet.com/ | ||
ValuJet Airlines was a low-cost carrier that operated in the Southeastern United States during the 1990s. After a series of safety problems and the fatal crash of ValuJet Flight 592, the company executed a reverse merger with the much smaller regional airline AirWays Corp., now known as AirTran Holdings; thus, ValuJet now operates as AirTran Airways.
Contents |
History
Inception
ValuJet's first flight (Flight 901 from Atlanta to Tampa) was on October 26, 1993, with service from Atlanta to Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa with a single Douglas DC-9 that had previously belonged to its chief competitor, Delta Air Lines. The carrier was headed by a group of industry veterans including co-founder and chairman Robert Priddy, who had started a string of successful airlines including Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), Air Midwest Airlines, and Florida Gulf Airlines. Board members Maury Gallagher and Tim Flynn, the other two co-founders, developed and ran WestAir before selling it to Mesa Airlines; former Continental Airlines and Flying Tigers President Lewis Jordan joined the carrier a short time later as president. The airline was taken public in June of 1994, after a year of tremendous growth with the addition of fifteen planes since the first flight in 1993. It became the fastest airline in the history of American aviation to make a profit, earning US$21 million in 1994 alone. In October of 1995, ValuJet placed an order with airplane manufacturer McDonnell Douglas for fifty MD-95 jets (renamed the 717-200 after McDonnell Douglas' merger with Boeing in 1996) with an option for fifty more, thus making it the first low cost airline to launch an aircraft.
Safety problems
In 1995, the Department of Defense (DoD) rejected ValuJet's bid to fly military personnel, citing unacceptable flaws in the carrier's actions after numerous air accidents. The DoD said that they did not see the changes as long-term, significant changes but rather as short-term, symptomatic repairs. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Atlanta field office sent a memo on February 14, 1996, to Washington, D.C., stating that "consideration should be given to the immediate FAR-121 rectification of this airline (ValuJet)." In other words, the Atlanta field office felt that ValuJet should be grounded. ValuJet's accident rate was ten times that of the ten major airlines in the U.S. In fact, ValuJet planes made fifteen emergency landings in 1994, fifty-seven in 1995, and fifty-seven from January through May of 1996. In February the FAA ordered ValuJet to seek approval before adding any new aircraft or cities to its network, something the industry had not seen since deregulation in 1979. This attempt at removing ValuJet's certification was "lost in the maze at FAA" according to NTSB Chairman Jim Hall. [1] Most of the accidents involved aging secondhand McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jets which had been acquired from other airlines. At least one of the DC-9's in question had previously belonged to a Third World airline.
Fallout from the crash of Flight 592
On June 17, 1996, ValuJet was grounded by the FAA. On September 26, 1996, ValuJet resumed flying with 15 jets, down from 52 before the crash, after complying with all U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA requirements. On November 4, 1996, ValuJet announced that Joseph Corr, former CEO of Continental Airlines, would become CEO and President of the airline at a time when the airline was in serious trouble. It had lost $55 million since the crash of Flight 592. After the large amount of negative publicity surrounding the Flight 592 incident, ValuJet suffered serious financial problems. On July 11, 1997, ValuJet announced it would merge with the much smaller Airways Corporation, parent of AirTran Airways. The merged company would retain the AirTran name, although ValuJet was the senior partner and nominal survivor of the merger. [2] [3]. In November 1997, the company announced it would move its headquarters from Atlanta to Orlando. On November 17, 1997, AirWays Corp. and ValuJet completed their merger, and the ValuJet name passed into aviation history.
Incidents and accidents
Flight 597
On June 8, 1995, the DC-9-32 ValuJet flight 597, suffered an aborted takeoff from Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport after a catastrophic engine failure. Shrapnel from the right engine penetrated the fuselage and the right engine main fuel line, and a cabin fire erupted. The airplane was stopped on the runway, and captain Greg Straessle ordered evacuation of the airplane.[1] The subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft. Among the five crew members, one flight attendant received serious puncture wounds from shrapnel and thermal injuries, and another flight attendant received minor injuries. None of the 57 passengers were killed, and five passengers received minor injuries.[2] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the engine failure was caused by a detectable crack in a compressor disk, on which a maintenance contractor had failed to perform a proper inspection and had poor record keeping. The incident resulted in the NTSB issuing an advisory recommending improvements to maintenance rules throughout the industry.[3]
Flight 592
ValuJet Flight 592, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed in the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996 due to a fire caused by the activation of chemical oxygen generators illegally stored in the hold. The fire damaged the plane's electrical system and eventually overcame the crew, resulting in the deaths of 110 people.
Minor incidents and accidents
| Flight | Date | Aircraft | Routing | Location | Description | Injuries | Probable Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ValuJet 109 Summary |
July 5, 1994 | DC-9-32 | Atlanta to Orlando | Valdosta, GA | Severe turbulence (clear air) | 1 Serious | Encounter with clear air turbulence not visible on radar |
| ValuJet 147 Summary |
January 10, 1995 | DC-9-32 | Memphis to Atlanta | Memphis, TN | Collision with tug | No injuries | Ground personnel's improper handling of the aircraft while in tow, and operator's failure to provide sufficient requirements for this situation |
| ValuJet 597 Summary |
June 8, 1995 | DC-9-32 | Atlanta to Miami | Atlanta, GA | Uncontained engine failure | 1 serious and 4 minor | Failure of maintenance crew to perform proper inspection of engine; inadequate maintenance record keeping; inadequate procedure |
| ValuJet 224 Summary |
December 12, 1995 | DC-9-32 | Dallas, TX to Atlanta, GA | Dallas, TX | Engine failure | 5 minor injuries | Fatigue failure of turbine blade |
| ValuJet 558 Summary[4] |
January 7, 1996 | DC-9-32 | Atlanta, GA to Nashville, TN | Nashville, TN | Ground Spoiler Activation in Flight/Hard Landing | 5 Minor | Flight crew's improper procedures and actions in response to situation, which resulted in inadvertent activation of ground spoilers during approach; contributing also is company's failure to incorporate cold weather servicing procedures in manuals and flight crew's inadequate knowledge of aircraft |
| ? Summary |
February 1, 1996 | DC-9-32 | Atlanta, GA to Nashville, TN | Nashville, TN | Landing gear failure | 5 minor | failure of right main landing gear due to preexisting fractures; contributing as well was inadequate maintenance by operator and inadequate procedure and directives from manufacturer |
| ValuJet 524 Summary |
February 28, 1996 | DC-9-32 | Atlanta, GA to Savannah, GA | Savannah, GA | Skidded off runway | 5 minor | copilot's misjudgment of touchdown point, and captain's inadequate supervision |
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