FAA managers in the Allegheny Flight Standards District Office and the Eastern Division Regional Office improperly closed enforcement actions, or failed to take enforcement actions, in seven out of eight incidents identified by a whistleblowing aviation safety inspector, the Office of Special Counsel has said.
It said the whistleblower allegations – substantiated by the Department of Transportation – involved maintenance deficiencies, false entries in aircraft logs, and the operation of aircraft with known mechanical discrepancies. In another incident, Eastern Region managers failed to document violations in an inspection report, said OSC.
It said the FAA counseled the responsible managers and said it would provide additional monitoring and training. Three of the managers were placed on individual development programs, and the FAA also revised orders and guidelines related to compliance and enforcement to incorporate safety risk management principles and to ensure standardization and consistency in enforcement proceedings.