FAA proposes penalty for Mesa Airlines

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation, recently proposed a civil penalty for Mesa Airlines of Phoenix, Arizona.

The penalty, which amounts to $174,600, would be against Mesa Airlines for its alleged violation of federal alcohol and drug testing regulations.

The FAA has stated that Mesa hired new employees. Six were in safety-sensitive positions, and five were aircraft dispatchers. One was a quality assurance inspector. Unfortunately, Mesa did not place them into the company’s random alcohol and drug testing pools. All of the five dispatchers reportedly fulfilled safety-sensitive functions without being in the random testing pools.

The FAA also reports that Mesa did not inform the FAA that one of its employees, one who had an FAA mechanic certificate, refused to comply with a drug test inside the two-day period stated in the regulations. In addition, Mesa’s DOT drug testing form showed that an accident had happened when an accident had not happened.

Lastly, Mesa hired the services of a Medical Review Officer without guaranteeing that the provisions in the contract allows the company to transfer its records. This means that the new MRO did not ensure positive drug test results.

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration is located at 5000 Jerry Ware Drive, Beaumont.