APC225

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has been slapped with $735,000 in fines for violating an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to adequately staff snow removal teams and deice runways – causing unsafe conditions and forcing planes to divert to other airports.

In four letters sent Monday to Acting Director of Airports Fred Szabo, FAA officials listed dozens of dates when staffing at Hopkins fell far short of requirements, leaving inches of snow and ice uncleared from the taxiways and runways.

Some of the most egregious infractions stem from March 1, when the airport's field maintenance crew was understaffed on all shifts – with only four out of the required 18 maintenance operators working third shift – despite a forecast calling for several inches of snow.

As a result, snow and ice accumulated on runways, pilots refused to land, reporting poor braking conditions, and one taxiway went without anti-icing chemicals until well after midnight, the FAA found.

The airport also failed to alert air carriers of the poor conditions and to deter planes from taxiing or landing on slick, hazardous surfaces, according to the letter.

During another snowstorm, on Dec. 29, 2013 airport supervisors violated the FAA agreement when they failed to hold over any maintenance staff to help workers clear snow during the next shift.

Between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. the next day, the "City of Cleveland had no maintenance personnel to operate any equipment at CLE," the FAA reported.

And no maintenance workers were on duty when United Airlines and Delta flights remained stranded on their respective taxiways, unable to use their brakes on the slick pavement, the FAA letter states.

The Delta flight was disabled until workers arrived for their next scheduled shift at 3 a.m. and hand-shoveled sand around the aircraft's wheels, according to the letter.

In another incident, during the early morning hours of Feb. 25, 2014 as snow accumulated and temperatures plummeted below freezing, a United Parcel Service flight could not brake on the icy runway and was diverted to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, the FAA letter states.

"Two eight is the only runway we have open right now," a Cleveland air traffic controller told the pilot, according to the FAA. "But there haven't been any plows on it, we don't have any, uh, conditions on that."

And on January 18, 2014, maintenance crews failed to treat one taxiway with either sand or deicing chemicals. As a result, an aircraft slid onto the runway when another flight was cleared for take off.

The incident caused the airport's Movement Area Safety System to generate an alert, the FAA reported.

GrassstripflyerZSE

Ouch, sounds like they could have paid double/trip.... time to get those employees to come in...would have saved them money!

cal73

At least the city built the center runway. Err wait. At least the employee parking lot is not a crumbling heap of concrete. Err wait. At least they do a good job of snow removal. Err guess not.
But hey we got money to make the front of the airport look good for the RNC.
I'm nearly positive that the city takes the landing fees and spends it all on the IX center, and other various pet projects and what's left over goes to the airport.

At least we got Lebron back.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk