Airline mechanics tasked with making sure airplanes are safe in the sky say they feel pressured by management to ignore potential problems.
A CBS News investigation found when some of these cases occurred, the Federal Aviation Administration agreed.
"They try to pressure the individual not to write it up," said Gary Santos, an American Airlines mechanic based in New York. He spoke to CBS News regarding the allegations, saying employees are compelled not to report maintenance issues.
Airline mechanics from American and Southwest Airlines, 26 in total, all detailed how managers pressured employees to focus on the work assigned to them.
One mechanic who asked not to be named in fear of retaliation said if they were working on landing gear and noticed a flap three feet away leaking, you'd be "beyond your scope" if the issue were written up.
Some managers are said to have used the words: "Can't we skip a few steps?"
The FAA reportedly backed up many of the claims in whistleblower complaints from 2015-18.
Jennifer Riordon, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, died from her injuries in April 2018 on a Southwest Flight when a fan blade from one of the plane's engines dislodged and sent debris flying into a window.
Her death was the first because of an aircraft incident in Southwest's 50-plus year history, and the last in a nine-year stretch countrywide, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
A senior vice president at American Airlines told CBS News there's never been an allegation the airline flew an aircraft that was unsafe. For its part, Southwest Airlines said it was fully committed to ensuring customer safety. Read the full CBS News story, including complete statements from both airlines and the FAA.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now.
Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.