What Ethics in Aviation Mean to Me

    Ethics is defined by Webster's dictionary as a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values. To me, ethics is having the integrity to uphold yourself to do the right thing, even when nobody is looking. Making ethical decisions ensures a job is done properly and people are kept safe as a result.

    Working in aviation maintenance, we constantly make decisions that could impact the lives of many people whom we have never met. Many people want to work quickly and, as a result, whether intentionally or not, end up doing procedures improperly. Having good ethics ensures maintenance procedures are done correctly and constantly inspected, so pilots, aircrew, and their families never have to worry about a problem with the aircraft leading to an accident that could change their lives forever. 

    I'm choosing to discuss Alaska Airlines Flight 261, as it could have been prevented by proper maintenance. On January 21st, 2000, at 16:21 local time, 88 people were killed when flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded its investigation and determined the probable cause was the loss of pitch control due to the failure of the horizontal stabilizer. The system's jackscrew assemblies' threads failed due to excessive wear from improper lubrication. 

    Before this incident, Alaska Airlines increased the amount of time between scheduled inspections of the jackscrew assembly. In addition to this, the flight crew spent 2 hours troubleshooting a jammed horizontal stabilizer before contacting the airline's maintenance facilities. The flight crew underestimated how severe the problem was, which led to their continuing to take off. 

   

    Had anybody at any point decided that they believed they should have spent more time taking a closer look at it and ensured the amount of lubrication on the component was sufficient, the 88 people on that flight would have made it to their destination. All it takes is for 1 person to be lazy or incompetent and willing to cut corners, and 1 very small component can cost the lives of many. But it also only takes 1 person to make the ethical decision to double and triple check a component or procedure to prevent accidents like this from happening and ensure the safety of others.

References:

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ethic definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic

McDonnell Douglas MD-83. McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | Federal Aviation Administration. (2025). https://www.faa.gov/lessons_learned/transport_airplane/accidents/N963AS