Third FAA Official Reassigned Over Southwest Airlines Safety Issues

The FAA, Congress and the Transportation Department inspector general continue to investigate Southwest. Inspection lapses in 2006-07 prompted the FAA in March to propose a $10.2 million fine against the company, a record. Maintenance practices at other airlines are also under investigation, the FAA has said. Calvin Scovel, the Transportation Department inspector general, told the House of Representatives Transportation Committee last Thursday that FAA oversight of Southwest was so cozy the agency allowed the carrier to violate safety orders repeatedly for years and put travelers at risk. Scovel's investigation was based mainly on FAA inspectors who testified as whistle-blowers about sloppy record keeping, incomplete procedures and alleged indifference by superiors. They said their concerns were dismissed or not investigated and they alleged threats and other retaliation for speaking up.

The whistle-blower complaints, first disclosed by the Transportation Committee in March, led to a reexamination of Southwest maintenance records and the grounding of jets for missed structural cracks. The heightened scrutiny of Southwest triggered a preliminary FAA audit of inspection records at all airlines that was completed last week. Other carriers, including American and Delta, grounded planes and canceled flights during the review.

Share

Email to a Friend