SUMMARY OF TESTIMONY OF LEWIS JORDAN, PRESIDENT, VALUJET AIRLINES, INC. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE JUNE 25, 1996 Over the last several weeks, the people of ValuJet have expressed their most sincere sympathy, caring and concern out of respect and mourning for those who lost loved ones on Flight 592. All of our people have joined together in the effort to provide comfort, compassion and support for them during this extremely difficult period. At the same time, we have worked diligently with the NTSB to determine the cause of the tragedy and have cooperated fully with the FAA to assure the highest level of safety at ValuJet. ValuJet's commitment to safety is unwavering. In fact, preliminary NTSB statements indicate that the crew acted appropriately (indeed heroically) and give no indication that pilot error, equipment failure, or maintenance factors played any role in the accident. The FAA has also acknowledged publicly that, based on current evidence, none of the maintenance concerns they have raised about ValuJet contributed to the accident. The NTSB and others have focused on the presence onboard Flight 592 of live oxygen generators without safety caps, which were delivered in sealed boxes to ValuJet's loading ramp. ValuJet would never have allowed such generators onboard had they been properly labeled and identified by SabreTech, the FAA-certified contractor, as required by law. The FAA last week asked ValuJet to suspend temporarily all revenue flights – resulting in 4,000 hard working, dedicated professionals losing their jobs. We strongly believe that we should not have been forced to suspend service. However, we agreed to do so because it has always been our commitment to cooperate fully with the FAA, and candidly, we had no reasonable alternative at the time. We have now begun our return-to-service plan through a consent order agreed to by ValuJet and the FAA. ValuJet fully intends to resume service as soon as possible so that our employees may return to work and our customers -- over 10 million thus far -- may return to travelling on the safe, affordable airline on which they have come to rely. We look forward to working with the FAA on our plan, to which we hope the FAA will devote as much attention and as many resources as they devoted to the earlier investigation of our airline. Even before the FAA's suspension, ValuJet reaffirmed its commitment to safety by taking a series of major steps to ensure the highest level of safety of the airline. Most significantly, we appointed General J.B. Davis, the former NATO Chief-of-Staff, as ValuJet's "Safety Czar" with full authority and without limitation to implement any and all necessary safety improvements. Some have suggested that because ValuJet charges lower fares, the safety of the airline is also lower. This is patently false. ValuJet is able to offer low fares because we cut frills, such as meals, seat reservations, a frequent flier program, city ticket offices, printed tickets, and such things as the cost of office furniture. However, we have not and will never cut corners when it comes to safety. Lower fare airlines like ValuJet provide safe, no frills travel at an affordable price. They have enabled millions of people to fly who would not otherwise be able to afford it, particularly individuals of more modest means and small businessmen and women. A recent DOT report concluded that "[t]he consumer benefits of low fare service are enormous and are growing on a daily basis." Indeed, since ValuJet's temporary suspension began, some of our competitors have already raised fares for routes we previously served - costing American consumers millions of dollars. ValuJet will do everything necessary to ensure the safety of its customers. We will correct every deficiency and provide the organization, resources, programs, and oversight necessary to assure the highest level of safety. TESTIMONY OF LEWIS JORDAN, PRESIDENT, VALUJET AIRLINES, INC. BEFORE THE AVIATION SUBCOMMITTEE, HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE JUNE 25, 1996 INTRODUCTION Chairman Shuster, Chairman Duncan, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Lewis Jordan. I am the President, Chief Operating Officer and cofounder of ValuJet Airlines, Inc. I am appearing here today on behalf of my Company, and more than 4,000 ValuJet people who have lost their jobs and need to return to work as soon as possible. VALUJET FLIGHT 592 The crash of ValuJet Flight 592, this terrible accident, has had a profound and permanent effect on each one of us at our airline. I appreciate the Subcommittee's desire to examine the issues raised by the accident and how future tragedies at every airline can be avoided. All of us at ValuJet share that desire. All ValuJet people deeply sympathize with the families of the customers and crew of Flight 592. While our grief and the sadness felt by each person who has been touched by this tragedy are difficult to express, the sense of loss is inescapable. It will remain with us always. We are painfully aware that families will feel this hurt forever, and we continue to extend our prayers and heartfelt concern to each and every person who lost loved ones in this tragic accident. Since the accident, we have made every effort to ease the pain of and to comfort the victims' family and friends. We commend the Subcommittee for holding a hearing last week on the impact of airline accidents on the families of the victims and for recognizing the importance of promptly and compassionately reaching out to those who have been affected by such tragedies. We appreciated the kind words from Members of this Subcommittee about the way in which ValuJet handled outreach to the victims' families during the difficult days and weeks following the accident. We also appreciated the recognition from those on the scene in Miami and the Everglades on the caring and concern exhibited by ValuJet people. We submitted a statement for the record at the time of that hearing that details our efforts to comfort and console the victims' families. We have included that statement as Attachment A. In summary, we provided immediate notification and assigned a ValuJet person to each family to help in any way necessary; provided for living accommodations, transportation, food, and related expenses; and ensured that professional counselors and clergy were available twenty-four hours a day. We arranged daily prayer services and memorial services for the victims many of which were attended by ValuJet leaders. I want to take this opportunity to thank publicly all of those who have made selfless contributions to help provide the victims' families with comfort and support, especially the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the National Air Disaster Alliance (NADA), the Metro-Dade Police, Fire Rescue, and Medical Examiner, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, the State of Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, and Victoria Cummock (a spokesperson for families of Pan Am 103/Lockerbie), as well as the people of ValuJet. Bach has been a valuable resource. I should note at the outset that, although this hearing was called to consider the issues raised by the accident involving Flight 592, I had intended to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB") had concluded its investigation before discussing the details of the incident. I have recently learned, however, that SabreTech, an FAA-certified contractor, has met with Members of the Subcommittee and has indicated that responsibility for the accident lies with ValuJet and the pilot of Flight 592. It would not be fair to the victims or to our employees and the memory of the late Captain Candalyn Kubeck and First Officer Richard Hazen, outstanding professional pilots, if I did not point out that preliminary NTSB statements indicate that the crew acted appropriately (indeed heroically) and give no indication that pilot error, equipment failure, or maintenance factors played any role in this accident. In both its May 31, 1996 Safety Recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its June 10, 1996 press conference, the NTSB cited no evidence of acts or omissions by ValuJet which would raise questions about the safety of the airline. NTSB officials have stated that they have found no evidence in the electrical wiring or circuit breakers of the forward parts of the plane that would indicate an electrical equipment fire. Finally, just last week, FAA Administrator David Hinson acknowledged that none of the safety issues raised by the FAA since the accident had anything to do with the May 11 accident. I can state, without any doubt, that ValuJet is a safe airline. Let me repeat: ValuJet is a safe airline. I would have grounded the airline myself if I thought otherwise. The safety of our customers and crew members is our top priority and has been since the day we started flying. An airline's reputation for safety is of paramount importance, and we place the highest priority on ensuring the highest level of safety. A perfect safety record is the only acceptable one. While we do not claim a flawless record, we do claim the greatest possible commitment to safety. A fair evaluation of ValuJet's safety practices requires a comparative analysis with other carriers, including large existing carriers. That analysis has never been conducted, and the severe criticisms of ValuJet have been leveled in a vacuum. NTSB HAS IDENTIFIED OXYGEN GENERATORS AS A POTENTIAL CAUSE OF THIS TRAGIC ACCIDENT With respect to the accident, the NTSB has focused its inquiry on the presence in Flight 592's cargo area of five sealed cardboard boxes containing chemical oxygen generators, some with unexpended oxidizer cores. These generators were in the cargo areas, where considerable evidence of fire has been found. Unfortunately, there has been a mountain of misinformation and distortion by SabreTech on how these generators ended up aboard the flight. I speak for all 4,000 of ValuJet's dedicated employees when I say that I am outraged by SabreTech's complete lack of regard for the truth in acknowledging any responsibility for shipping the generators. ValuJet contracted with SabreTech, one of the largest FAA-certified aircraft repair facilities in the country with a long list of large airline customers, to modify three MD-80 |