Congressman Bilbray to Transportation Secretary:
U.S. Airline Mechanics Must Understand English

(Washington D.C.)- Congressman Brian Bilbray, Chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus, recently sent Obama's Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, a letter detailing concerns over the safety of airline passengers. Due to the fact some of the nation's airline mechanics cannot read English, it appears that the language-barrier has, in the past, caused the deaths of airline passengers.

Since English is the language in which the complex aircraft repair manuals is written, Congressman Bilbray, along with 16 other members of Congress, are seeking to make sure the public is never put in danger because a mechanic cannot understand the instructions on how to repair an airplane and make it safe for flight. The letter calls on the Secretary of Transportation to address this public safety issue by requiring all U.S. resident airline mechanics have an English proficiency section on their certification exams.

The text of the letter follows:

Secretary Ray LaHood
Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave , SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood:

We are alarmed at recent news reports indicating that hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified aircraft mechanics cannot read or understand the English language (article attached).  According to the reports, these mechanics are employed by companies that repair and service commercial aircraft within the United States.  FAA certification requirements state that aircraft mechanics must be “able to read, write, and understand” the English language and are required to pass written, oral, and practical tests to demonstrate their mechanic’s skills.

If the reports are true, we urge you to address this serious public safety issue with the urgency it deserves.  Millions of American passengers depend on the FAA to protect their safety.  There is evidence to believe that a mechanic’s inability to read a repair manual’s instructions correctly may have figured in a crash that took the lives of 21 people.

Repairing and servicing aircraft is complicated work that requires a great deal of skill.  But even experienced aircraft mechanics must rely on complex repair manuals written in English.   Moreover they are required to maintain detailed logs of the work they do for the benefit of supervisors, and those that perform maintenance at a later time.  It is critical that they are proficient in English.     

We believe the minimum fluency standard for aircraft mechanics should be that required of international pilots as set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines (Level 4 ICAO).  Moreover, aircraft mechanic applicants should be required to pass their written, oral, and practical examinations in English.

In order to reassure the public that the FAA is addressing this problem we urge you to require that all U.S. resident aircraft mechanic’s certificates have an English proficiency endorsement, similar to that required of international pilots by March 5, 2009.  We look forward to your prompt reply and working with you to correct this urgent safety matter.

Sincerely,

Brian P. Bilbray
Member of Congress

Sue Myrick
Member of Congress

Trent Franks
Member of Congress

Marsha Blackburn
Member of Congress

Kenny Marchant
Member of Congress

Gus Bilirakis
Member of Congress

Ginny Brown-Waite
Member of Congress

Ted Poe
Member of Congress

Lamar Smith
Member of Congress

Virginia Foxx
Member of Congress

Steve King
Member of Congress

Dana Rohrbacher
Member of Congress

Jason Chaffetz
Member of Congress

Howard Coble
Member of Congress

Walter Jones
Member of Congress

Paul Broun
Member of Congress

Todd Akin
Member of Congress

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