Cargo Airline Behind Fatal Miami Crash Faced Years of Safety Complaints
- 21 Air, the North Carolina cargo airline hired by Amazon whose Boeing 767 crashed off a Miami runway on Sept. 6 killing five people, has faced a documented history of safety complaints from former pilots and employees who claim they were fired for raising concerns.
- Pilot Karl Seuring, whose retaliatory-firing complaint was rejected by OSHA and remains pending before a Department of Labor tribunal, testified that 21 Air managers suppressed safety reports, pushed crews to fly without proper rest, and told him to “just sign” flight plans with inaccurate safety attestations
- Former chief pilot Bruce Joseph similarly testified that a director of safety instructed him not to log concerns in the company’s safety software without first clearing it with then-CEO Mike Mendez, who denied any retaliation occurred.
- Multiple pilots described specific incidents including a 2022 flight out of Newark where a mechanical problem caused dangerous over-acceleration after takeoff, an emergency diversion to Puerto Rico after a pressurization problem, and a 2021 resignation letter from a safety reviewer warning owner Jim Crane that the company was “paying lip service” to its safety management system while doing “exactly nothing” to fix underlying issues.
- The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Sunday’s crash, with flight tracking data showing the plane leveled out unexpectedly during its final approach before descending at roughly twice the normal rate.
Bill Would End Benefit ‘Lock-In’ Protection for Long-Term Injured Workers
- Ontario’s proposed Bill 105 would eliminate the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s “lock-in” rule, which guarantees injured workers a fixed loss-of-earnings benefit until age 65 after six years, without their claim typically being reassessed.
- Kathrin Furniss of the Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic and Sean Staddon of United Steelworkers Local 6500 say the lock-in currently provides workers financial stability — some have qualified for mortgages based on locked-in benefits — and psychological relief from constant case-manager check-ins and employer challenges.
- Two Toronto Police Services officers on leave with PTSD told CBC News that removing the lock-in would trap them in ongoing reassessment, forcing them to repeatedly revisit traumatic experiences before WSIB, specialty clinics and appeal boards, with one officer calling the current lock-in system “one really good foundation” for his recovery.
- The bill also includes benefit expansions — raising WSIB wage-loss benefits from 85% to 90% of pre-injury earnings (up to a $121,700 insurable earnings ceiling) and allowing some workers to claim benefits past age 65.
OSHA Probes Fatal Truck Backing Incident at Ohio Hospital
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Summit Metro Crash team are both investigating a Sept. 4 incident in a worker was struck and killed by a truck backing up in the docking area of Summa Health’s Barberton Hospital while leaving work.
- The woman who worked on the hospital’s Food and Nutrition Services team was struck in the afternoon and died of her injuries at the hospital’s own emergency department shortly thereafter., according to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.
- OSHA has up to six months to complete its investigation and will not release additional information until then. Barberton Police Department public information officer Marty Eberhart said no details can be shared while the investigation remains active.