ValuJet Airlines

Infobox Airline
airline = ValuJet

logo_size = 200
IATA = J7
ICAO = VJA
Nasdaq Stock Symbol = VJET
callsign = CRITTER
parent = Airtran Airways
founded = 1993
headquarters = Atlanta, Georgia
key_people = Robert Priddy (Chairman)
Maurice Gallahger (CEO & President)
hubs = Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
focus_cities = Orlando International Airport
Boston Logan International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
destinations = 28
fleet_size = 56
website= [http://web.archive.org/web/19970102235300/http://www.valujet.com/ http://www.valujet.com/]

ValuJet Airlines was a low-cost carrier that operated in the Eastern United States during the 1990s. After a series of safety problems and the fatal crash of ValuJet Flight 592, the company executed a reverse merger with the much smaller regional airline AirWays Corp., now known as AirTran Holdings; thus, ValuJet now operates as AirTran Airways.

History

Inception

ValuJet's first flight (Flight 901 from Atlanta to Tampa) was on October 26, 1993, with service from Atlanta to Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa with a single Douglas DC-9 that had previously belonged to its chief competitor, Delta Air Lines. The carrier was headed by a group of industry veterans including co-founder and chairman Robert Priddy, who had started a string of successful airlines including Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), Air Midwest Airlines, and Florida Gulf Airlines. Board members Maury Gallagher and Tim Flynn, the other two co-founders, developed and ran WestAir before selling it to Mesa Airlines; former Continental Airlines and Flying Tigers President Lewis Jordan joined the carrier a short time later as president.

The airline was taken public in June 1994, after a year of tremendous growth with the addition of fifteen planes since the first flight in 1993. It became the fastest airline in the history of American aviation to make a profit, earning US$21 million in 1994 alone. In October 1995, ValuJet placed an order with airplane manufacturer McDonnell Douglas for fifty MD-95 jets (renamed the 717-200 after McDonnell Douglas' merger with Boeing in 1997) with an option for fifty more, thus making it the first low cost airline to launch an aircraft.

afety problems

In 1995, the Department of Defense (DoD) rejected ValuJet's bid to fly military personnel, citing unacceptable flaws in the carrier's actions after numerous air accidents. The DoD said that they did not see the changes as long-term, significant changes but rather as short-term, symptomatic repairs.

The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Atlanta field office sent a memo on February 14, 1996, to Washington, D.C., stating that "consideration should be given to the immediate FAR-121 rectification of this airline"--in other words, the FAA wanted ValuJet grounded. ValuJet planes made fifteen emergency landings in 1994, fifty-seven in 1995, and fifty-seven from January through May of 1996. In February the FAA ordered ValuJet to seek approval before adding any new aircraft or cities to its network, something the industry had not seen since deregulation in 1979. This attempt at removing ValuJet's certification was "lost in the maze at FAA" according to NTSB Chairman Jim Hall. [ [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/transportation/july-dec97/valujet_8-19.html Online NewsHour: ValuJet Crash- August 19, 1997 ] ]

Fallout from the crash of Flight 592

On June 17, 1996, ValuJet was grounded by the FAA. On September 26, 1996, ValuJet resumed flying with 15 jets, down from 52 before the crash, after complying with all U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA requirements. On November 4, 1996, ValuJet announced that Joseph Corr, former CEO of Continental Airlines, would become CEO and President of the airline at a time when the airline was in serious trouble. It had lost $55 million since the crash of Flight 592.

After the large amount of negative publicity surrounding the Flight 592 incident, ValuJet suffered serious financial problems. On July 11, 1997, ValuJet announced it would merge with the much smaller "Airways Corporation", parent of AirTran Airways. The merged company would retain the AirTran name, although ValuJet was the senior partner and nominal survivor of the merger. [http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/948846/0000931763-97-002099.txt] [ [http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/NEWS/9709/24/valujet.presser/ CNN - ValuJet begins service under new name - Sept. 24, 1997 ] ] . In November 1997, the company announced it would move its headquarters from Atlanta to Orlando. On November 17, 1997, AirWays Corp. and ValuJet completed their merger, and the ValuJet name passed into aviation history.

Incidents and accidents

Flight 597

On June 8, 1995, the DC-9-32 ValuJet flight 597, suffered an aborted takeoff from Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport after a catastrophic engine failure. Shrapnel from the right engine penetrated the fuselage and the right engine main fuel line, and a cabin fire erupted. The airplane was stopped on the runway, and captain Greg Straessle ordered evacuation of the airplane. [cite web|url=http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR96-03.pdf|format=pdf|title=NTSB/AAR-96-03: Valujet Airlines Flight 597|publisher=Air Disaster|date=June 8, 1995|accessdate=2007-11-03]

The subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft. Among the five crew members, one flight attendant received serious puncture wounds from shrapnel and thermal injuries, and another flight attendant received minor injuries. None of the 57 passengers were killed, and five passengers received minor injuries.cite web|url=http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001207X03623&key=1|title=NTSB Identification: ATL95MA106|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|accessdate=2007-11-03]

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the engine failure was caused by a detectable crack in a compressor disk, on which a maintenance contractor had failed to perform a proper inspection and had poor record keeping. The incident resulted in the NTSB issuing an advisory recommending improvements to maintenance rules throughout the industry. [cite pressrelease|url=http://www.ntsb.gov/pressrel/1996/960730.htm|date=July 30, 1996|title=NTSB Urges Tighter Aircraft Repair Station Rules, Updated Cockpit Voice Recorders on All Planes Following 1995 Atlanta ValuJet Engine Accident|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|accessdate=2007-11-03]

Flight 592

ValuJet Flight 592, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed in the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996 due to a fire caused by the activation of chemical oxygen generators that were stored in the cargo hold. The fire damaged the plane's electrical system and eventually overcame the crew, resulting in the deaths of 110 people.cite web|url=http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1997/aar9706.pdf|title=In-Flight Fire and Impact with Terrain, ValuJet Airlines Flight 592, Dc-9-32, N904VJ, Everglades, Near Miami, Florida|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|date=August 19, 1997]

References

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/19970102235300/http://www.valujet.com/ Archive of the ValuJet website]