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Federal Aviation Administration: Difference between revisions
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On July 22, 2008, in the aftermath of the Southwest Airlines inspection scandal, a bill was unanimously approved in the [[United States House of Representatives|House]] to tighten regulations concerning airplane maintenance procedures, including the establishment of a whistleblower office and a two-year "cooling off" period that FAA inspectors or supervisors of inspectors must wait before they can work for those they regulated.<ref name="ainonline" /><ref>Congress.gov, "[http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.110hr6493 H.R.6493 - Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008]". {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001040721/https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-bill/6493 |date=October 1, 2021 }}.</ref> The bill also required rotation of principal maintenance inspectors and stipulated that the word "customer" properly applies to the flying public, not those entities regulated by the FAA.<ref name="ainonline" /> The bill died in a Senate committee that year.<ref>Congress.gov, "[http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.110s3440 S.3440 - Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008]". {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001040738/https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/3440 |date=October 1, 2021 }}.</ref> | On July 22, 2008, in the aftermath of the Southwest Airlines inspection scandal, a bill was unanimously approved in the [[United States House of Representatives|House]] to tighten regulations concerning airplane maintenance procedures, including the establishment of a whistleblower office and a two-year "cooling off" period that FAA inspectors or supervisors of inspectors must wait before they can work for those they regulated.<ref name="ainonline" /><ref>Congress.gov, "[http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.110hr6493 H.R.6493 - Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008]". {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001040721/https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-bill/6493 |date=October 1, 2021 }}.</ref> The bill also required rotation of principal maintenance inspectors and stipulated that the word "customer" properly applies to the flying public, not those entities regulated by the FAA.<ref name="ainonline" /> The bill died in a Senate committee that year.<ref>Congress.gov, "[http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.110s3440 S.3440 - Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008]". {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001040738/https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/3440 |date=October 1, 2021 }}.</ref> | ||
In September 2009, the FAA administrator issued a directive mandating that the agency use the term "customers" to refer to only the flying public.<ref>{{cite news |title=FAA will stop calling airlines 'customers' |work=[[USA Today]] |date=September 18, 2009 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-09-17-faa-airline-customers_N.htm |access-date=October 17, 2009 |agency= | In September 2009, the FAA administrator issued a directive mandating that the agency use the term "customers" to refer to only the flying public.<ref>{{cite news |title=FAA will stop calling airlines 'customers' |work=[[USA Today]] |date=September 18, 2009 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-09-17-faa-airline-customers_N.htm |access-date=October 17, 2009 |agency=Reuters |archive-date=December 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224184815/http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-09-17-faa-airline-customers_N.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
===Lax regulatory oversight=== | ===Lax regulatory oversight=== | ||
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===Boeing 737 MAX controversy=== | ===Boeing 737 MAX controversy=== | ||
{{See also|Boeing 737 MAX groundings}} | {{See also|Boeing 737 MAX groundings}} | ||
As a result of the March 10, 2019 [[Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302]] crash and the [[Lion Air Flight 610]] crash five months earlier, most airlines and countries began grounding the [[Boeing 737 MAX 8]] (and in many cases all MAX variants) due to safety concerns, but the FAA declined to ground MAX 8 aircraft operating in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/africa/airlines-suspend-boeing-flights-intl/index.html |title=US and Canada are the only two nations still flying many Boeing 737 MAX planes |agency=CNN|date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412025015/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/africa/airlines-suspend-boeing-flights-intl/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On March 12, the FAA said that its ongoing review showed "no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft."<ref name="crash"/> Some U.S. Senators called for the FAA to ground the aircraft until an investigation into the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash was complete.<ref name="crash">{{cite news |title=U.S. Senate to hold crash hearing as lawmakers urge grounding Boeing 737 MAX 8 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airline-usa/u-s-senate-to-hold-crash-hearing-as-lawmakers-urge-grounding-boeing-737-max-8-idUSKBN1QT1WR |work= | As a result of the March 10, 2019 [[Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302]] crash and the [[Lion Air Flight 610]] crash five months earlier, most airlines and countries began grounding the [[Boeing 737 MAX 8]] (and in many cases all MAX variants) due to safety concerns, but the FAA declined to ground MAX 8 aircraft operating in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/africa/airlines-suspend-boeing-flights-intl/index.html |title=US and Canada are the only two nations still flying many Boeing 737 MAX planes |agency=CNN|date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412025015/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/12/africa/airlines-suspend-boeing-flights-intl/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On March 12, the FAA said that its ongoing review showed "no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft."<ref name="crash"/> Some U.S. Senators called for the FAA to ground the aircraft until an investigation into the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash was complete.<ref name="crash">{{cite news |title=U.S. Senate to hold crash hearing as lawmakers urge grounding Boeing 737 MAX 8 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airline-usa/u-s-senate-to-hold-crash-hearing-as-lawmakers-urge-grounding-boeing-737-max-8-idUSKBN1QT1WR |work=Reuters|date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710175443/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airline-usa/u-s-senate-to-hold-crash-hearing-as-lawmakers-urge-grounding-boeing-737-max-8-idUSKBN1QT1WR |url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. Transportation Secretary [[Elaine Chao]] said that "If the FAA identifies an issue that affects safety, the department will take immediate and appropriate action."<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. to mandate design changes on Boeing 737 MAX 8 after crashes |url=https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/12/us-to-mandate-design-changes-on-boeing-737-max-8-after-crashes |publisher=Euronews |date=March 12, 2019 |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=May 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502052942/https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/12/us-to-mandate-design-changes-on-boeing-737-max-8-after-crashes |url-status=live}}</ref> The FAA resisted grounding the aircraft until March 13, 2019, when it received evidence of similarities in the two accidents. By then, 51 other regulators had already grounded the plane,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-14 |title=Editorial: Why was the FAA so late to deplane from Boeing's 737 Max? |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-faa-737-max-grounded-20190314-story.html |access-date=2021-07-20 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720135818/https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-faa-737-max-grounded-20190314-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and by March 18, 2019, all 387 aircraft in service were grounded. Three major U.S. airlines--[[Southwest Airlines|Southwest]], [[United Airlines|United]], and [[American Airlines]]—were affected by this decision.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/business/canada-737-max.html |title=Trump Announces Ban of Boeing 737 Max Flights |last1=Austen |first1=Ian |date=March 13, 2019 |work=The New York Times|access-date=March 13, 2019 |last2=Gebrekidan |first2=Selam |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913163144/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/business/canada-737-max.html |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Further investigations also revealed that the FAA and Boeing had colluded on recertification test flights, attempted to cover up important information and that the FAA had retaliated against whistleblowers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22189609/faa-boeing-737-max-senate-report-coverup-tests-whistleblowers |title=FAA and Boeing manipulated 737 Max tests during recertification |date=December 18, 2020 |access-date=August 25, 2022 |archive-date=July 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710123547/https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22189609/faa-boeing-737-max-senate-report-coverup-tests-whistleblowers |url-status=live }}</ref> | Further investigations also revealed that the FAA and Boeing had colluded on recertification test flights, attempted to cover up important information and that the FAA had retaliated against whistleblowers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22189609/faa-boeing-737-max-senate-report-coverup-tests-whistleblowers |title=FAA and Boeing manipulated 737 Max tests during recertification |date=December 18, 2020 |access-date=August 25, 2022 |archive-date=July 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710123547/https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22189609/faa-boeing-737-max-senate-report-coverup-tests-whistleblowers |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||