Operator in deadly Amazon plane crash has history of whistleblower complaints about safety

The operator of the doomed Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that crashed in Miami, killing five people, has been the subject of numerous safety complaints by former employees, including some who claim they were fired for blowing the whistle.Numerous senior staff members have filed complaints against 21 Air, a North Carolina-based operator controlled by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane through an LLC — with some saying they long feared a tragedy like Sunday’s crash.“It’s something a lot of us ex-21 Air pilots have been anticipating for a while,” retired 21 Air pilot Tony Bless told CBS News, citing perennial concerns like”maintenance safety issues, the pressure out of the chief pilot’s office, and the quality of pilots they would hire.”Whistleblowers have alleged everything from failing to properly document safety concerns to hiring pilots who couldn’t speak English to pressuring pilots to complete their routes too quickly to comply with rest requirements.“Unfortunately, 21 Air has a long-established history of safety problems,” Karl Seuring, a veteran pilot who filed a legal complaint against the company, told CBS News.Seuring claimed that when he raised safety concerns he was told by a 21 Air manager, “It’s not going to change.”He alleged he was fired over the complaint, however his claim was initially rejected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).His appeal is still pending before a Department of Labor tribunal, in which a federal judge will hear the case.A former fighter pilot reviewing safety policy for 21 Air wrote in his resignation letter that company executives were merely “paying lip service” to safety protocols “then doing exactly nothing” when presented with concerns.Bruce Joseph, a former chief pilot for 21 Air, testified in his own Labor Department tribunal that he had “personal knowledge of people being discouraged” from recording safety concerns.He alleged the firm’s former director of safety...