A News 8 investigation reporting on hundreds of mechanics who can't speak English or read the mandatory repair manual while working on commercial airliners made national headlines.

Now, Congress is asking for changes in FAA rules regarding the English skills of mechanics.

The News 8 investigation began with a look at the way aircraft mechanics are certified by the FAA and quickly discovered repair licenses being bought and sold. That discovery raised safety and terrorism concerns.

It's not necessary to have an FAA license to repair an aircraft.

But, News 8 also discovered hundreds of lower-level repairmen, who may have mechanical skills, did not have the language skills to talk to their English-speaking supervisors or read the English repair manuals. English is the international language of aviation.

As a result of the News 8 investigation, 17 members of Congress are calling for a change in the rules. They wrote the secretary of transportation and called the lack of English among repairmen "an urgent safety matter."

Congressman Brian Bilbray, of California, is leading the group.

"I think that it's a whole safety issue that's been overlooked,” he said. "Somebody thought it was a little more inexpensive to hire somebody that was a non-English speaker. But, in the long run, safety should come first and foremost."

Congressman Kenny Marchant, Lamar Smith and Ted Poe - all from Texas - are also among those asking for change.

"I was shocked to know that reading and writing was not a mandatory requirement,” Poe said. "I think even fast food restaurants require at least that, and we're talking about airline mechanics."

Congressman Michael Burgess, of Denton, said the FAA should know about non-English speaking mechanics if it's doing its job.

"The FAA should be aware of this information and obviously should be aware of the necessity for correcting that when they encounter that,” he said.

Burgess is not among those asking for change.

The seventeen House members asked for a new FAA rule that would require mechanics to be proficient in English, and that the rule be put into effect by March of next year.


To view the original article click here.