FAA Skipped More Than 100 Safety Reviews

    
The Wall Street Journal

May 6, 2008

FAA Skipped More Than 100 Safety Reviews
By CHRISTOPHER CONKEY and ANDY PASZTOR
May 6, 2008; Page A3

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration has failed to perform more than 100 recommended safety reviews at major airlines in recent years, according to a recent assessment by the agency.

The reviews in question are top-to-bottom examinations of dozens of different airline safety systems -- ranging from flight-crew training to deicing programs -- that are supposed to be completed at least once every five years. The goal is to ensure that airlines have the right systems in place to identify potential hazards and deal appropriately with any they find.

The importance of those examinations became clear earlier this year amid revelations that FAA managers allowed Southwest Airlines Co. to fly planes that hadn't undergone mandatory structural-safety inspections. The FAA hadn't reviewed Southwest's system for complying with agency safety directives since 1999, a fact the Transportation Department's inspector general and other critics have pointed to as a missed opportunity to prevent the inspection lapse.

At a Senate hearing in April, Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell was asked by Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.), chairwoman of the Senate subcommittee overseeing FAA funding, whether other airlines were overdue for any five-year reviews. Mr. Sturgell said he wasn't aware of any at the time, but he promised to conduct an internal survey and get back to her.

A few days later, Mr. Sturgell responded in a letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. He indicated that in addition to Southwest, the agency hasn't performed dozens of five-year reviews at seven other major carriers, including AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, which is sparring with the agency over a recent regulatory decision that resulted in the cancellation of thousands of flights.

In the letter, Mr. Sturgell said "inadequate resources" may have played a role.

FAA inspectors and many lawmakers say the FAA has given the industry too much control over safety regulation. Under its Air Transportation Oversight System, a data-driven effort to pinpoint budding safety problems before they lead to accidents, the agency relies on day-to-day information provided primarily by airlines, along with the now-mandatory five-year reviews, to determine safety risks.

"One of the lessons from the Southwest debacle is that these system inspections matter," said Sen. Murray, in a statement. "They are one of the best indicators of whether an airline has its act together when it comes to maintenance and safety compliance. Clearly, the FAA needs to bring more focus and leadership to meeting its own self-imposed deadlines."

The reviews, some overdue by nine years, don't suggest imminent safety hazards are being overlooked. The focus is on whether carriers properly collect, analyze and act on operational safety data aimed at preventing accidents.

Among them are overdue examinations of advanced engine monitoring, pilot training and extended operations over water at US Airways Group Inc., all essential to ensuring safe operations.

"The inspectors by and large met the recommendation" to conduct five-year reviews, said Peggy Gilligan, deputy associate administrator for aviation safety at the FAA. "There were some that were not completed."

Ms. Gilligan stressed that five-year reviews were recommendations until 2007, when they were made mandatory. Going forward, she said the agency has developed a new tool that will alert senior officials when five-year reviews are overdue.

Andrea Rader, a US Airways spokesperson, said the FAA "has been looking over our shoulder" and expressed confidence the agency will conduct the proper reviews. "An airline does not have an interest in cutting corners."

The lagging reviews come as critics and many lawmakers are questioning the robustness of ATOS, which was conceived a decade ago following a spate of deadly crashes.

"Rather than use ATOS as a tool to enhance its inspectors' ability to perform industry oversight, the FAA has instead allowed ATOS to be used as a way to shift the burden of oversight from the agency to the industry itself," said Tom Brantley, president of the union representing most FAA inspectors.

Write to Christopher Conkey at christopher.conkey@wsj.com1 and Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com2