YOURSAY 'It must settle doubts that they were serviced and maintained to the required standards.'

MAS denies being lax in replacing pinger battery

Magnus: MAS is in serious trouble if it cannot prove those black box radio beacons on its planes were serviced and maintained correctly with the minimum standard battery life stipulation of 30 days.

The automatic inference from that negative inference, particularly if the black boxes or plane cannot be located and found, is that the loss of MH370 was a preventable disaster that only happened because of a safety failure resulting from the possibly illegal approach MAS appears to have had to vital standards of maintenance.

In other words, screwing up on internationally agreed aviation SOPs by cutting corners on them and/or making assumptions that should not be made.

I recall MAS cutting corners before on important safety-related SOPS, like being a stinge on the levels of safety buffer fuel it was required to carry on its planes, and for which it was once caught out and slapped a heavy fine at Heathrow Airport.

Doubtless, lawyers will use those past safety breaches as rich pickings to infer a breach of safety standards in this instance of the MH370 incident.

Insurance policies may also indemnify only up to certain agreed maximums or perhaps even deny liability altogether if gross negligence in maintenance standards (drat, those SOPs again) can be proven to have existed at MAS.

Louis: MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari, just claiming that the batteries were due for replacement in June 2014 is not good enough. Show the journalists all the receipts or certificates acknowledging that the batteries in MH370 were indeed in good condition.

Onyourtoes Why are you telling us only now, Anish Patel? MAS must now confirm or deny whether what Anish said was true. MAS must also confirm whether they have replaced the battery/pingers with another service provider.

Samurai: Does anyone else find it curious that they refuse to divulge any information about the batteries or the fire at the avionics workshop? What a coincidence that the very place responsible for taking care of the black box suddenly catches fire, at this incredibly opportune time.

And yet the authorities have not said a single word, not one word, about them even though these matters had been reported in the press and questions asked, no less by former BN-friendly independent MP Wee Choo Keong.

Instead of giving clear, satisfactory answers, all they can do is moan of Malaysia bashing and call for everyone to pat their backs and tell them what a fabulous job they are doing so far.

Doesn't this all smell very fishy?

Damntlwbn: To those who chided the Chinese earlier, can we blame them? I suspect the fate of MH370 could be very much due to our own maintenance problems.

Muhibbah: It is difficult to deduce who is speaking the truth but one thing is certain. Most people or organisations do not practise nor adhere to preventive maintenance, what more on predictive maintenance.

Take the case of automobiles, I find it strange that people change their battery when it fails. Perhaps they are ignorant, stupid, or penny wise-pound foolish. Under normal circumstances, a battery’s lifespan is about two to three years.

LifeFlier: Ahmad Jauhari, please clarify if your pingers had been sent to non-accredited servicing agents since 2009/2010? Were they replaced and serviced by non-certified personnel? Where do you get the batteries? Are those batteries certified as well?

Odin: Ahmad Jauhari, would you, by any chance, be talking about a black box/battery different from the one mentioned by Anish Patel? If you are talking about the same one, you must show proof to support your claim.

The public does not trust you all now. You all have lost any semblance of credibility a long time ago. Even today, 29 days after the disappearance of the plane, you lot are still contradicting each other, the latest being acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein saying something different from the IGP. You lot are simply pathetic.

Single Malt: Check the possibility of removing the black box for servicing by the avionics unit and the plane taking off without the black box. A fire in the avionics workshop during this time? Does that tell us something? Can our IGP help us on this?

Negarawan: Customer confidence in MAS has plunged beyond repair. I doubt MAS can even survive the onslaught of legal actions probably exceeding RM1 billion, let alone the huge revenue loss due to low passenger bookings not only from China but also from other countries including domestic travelers.

MAS might even declare bankruptcy before all the affected next-of-kin get their full compensation and legal claims.

Swipenter: Ever since MAS was privatised it has become 'Mana Ada System' (we have no system). Once a high-flying airline now it looks as if it is going to crash land just like its stock price. MAS is now a penny stock. Incompetence, mismanagement, political interference, corruption and a ‘tidak apa’ attitude has left MAS in tatters.

Onyourtoes: “We do know that the batteries are due for replacement only in June 2014” does not sound very convincing to me. If you can, please let us know when were the batteries serviced or replaced and by whom. Let that service-provider confirm that the next replacement is due in June 2014.

LifeFlier: (1) MAS’s black box pingers were due for battery replacement in 2012, but manufacturer Dukane Seacom has not received them to date.

(2) MAS reportedly stores its pingers in hot and humid conditions, contrary to manufacturer’s recommendations that it should be kept refrigerated at a temperature lower than room temperature.

Can MAS CEO explain what is going on? Can MAS produce the past audit compliance reports? The public wants to know the facts.

Doc: I seriously hope that MAS got the pingers serviced or changed by another service provider. If not heads must roll.

Fairnsquare: Wouldn't this be in breach of international aviation regulations? This alone would expose MAS to liabilities due to breach of basic duty of care.

Single Malt: Another case for IGP to investigate. I am sure he'll get to the bottom of it just like the mangosteens.

Wira: I am told MAS is a ISO9001:2008 compliant company. The matter with the batteries is a major noncompliance. I wonder which is the certifying body. I also wonder what other expired parts their planes are using.

The CEO and those senior engineering executives must be fired.

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