FAA Probes Recurrent Electrical Issues on Mesa Airlines Flights Between Austin and Houston

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting investigations into two incidents involving a Mesa Airlines flight from Austin to Houston that experienced electrical and navigational problems. On October 9th, passengers on board Mesa Airlines Flight 6078 sensed something awry when they were greeted by airside operations upon their landing. Passenger Karen Rambin told KVUE in an interview, "When he (the pilot) said they towed us back in or going to tow us back in, I kind of thought, 'Hmm what's going on,' you know," adding the realization of mid-air issues heightened her concern. The plane, an Embraer ERJ-175, reportedly faced a potential loss of power and steering issues mid-flight.

The incident prompted an investigation by the FAA, which also unearthed a previous event on July 31 involving the same aircraft encountering similar problems. An FAA statement regarding the earlier flight to Jacksonville, reported by KXAN, disclosed that "The Embraer ERJ-175 plane landed safely at George Bush Intercontinental Airport around 1 p.m.." 

Aviation attorney and pilot Jeff Kelly weighed in on the gravity of losing electrical power in flight, stating that without power, "those actuators stop working so you manually have to fly the aircraft and that's much more difficult," according to a KVUE interview. Although the pilots are trained for such scenarios, Kelly noted the rarity and seriousness of the situation, emphasizing the unusual nature of these incidents given the quality of modern aircraft manufacturing.

Mesa Airlines, in response to inquiries about the incidents and if the plane had experienced similar issues on other flights, downplayed the October 9 event. A spokesperson for the airline explained to KVUE, "Mesa flight 6078 encountered a momentary technology issue on Wednesday and arrived in Houston without incident." They assured that the aircraft is currently out of service pending a thorough inspection. Meanwhile, reflecting on her experience, Ramblin expressed a sentiment likely shared by many passengers, "I think they need to be safer," concluding that persistent problems should warrant grounding the aircraft.