Focus Is On Issues Identified With American, Allegiant Airlines

In June 2017, the DOT Office of Inspector General announced a review of the FAA's oversight of air carrier maintenance. Based on the initial audit work and additional congressional requests, the scope of the audit is being adjusted.

The new objectives are to assess FAA’s processes for investigating allegations of improper maintenance practices at two carriers, Allegiant Airlines and American Airlines.

Specifically, the OIG will (1) examine FAA’s independent reviews, complaints to the FAA hotline, and other sources to see whether inspectors conducting routine surveillance of Allegiant and American Airlines found similar discrepancies and (2) determine whether FAA ensures that Allegiant and American Airlines implement effective corrective actions to address the root causes of maintenance problems.

According to the memo announcing the adjustment, the initial audit work found that FAA had moved its oversight strategy from emphasizing enforcement actions to working with carriers to address the root causes for noncompliance of safety regulations. It also found that the relationships and information-sharing practices between air carriers and their FAA oversight offices vary significantly. In addition, maintenance programs at air carriers are affected by differences in fleet mix and other operational considerations.

Given these factors—as well as the analysis of complaints to the FAA hotline about the maintenance programs at two air carriers—the OIG decided to refocus the next phase of the audit. In February, congressional staff that notified of the adjustments to the approach, and the focus on two carriers, Allegiant and American Airlines.

Furthermore, in April, four more request letters were received from various congressional committees and Members asking the OIG to examine a range of issues associated with FAA’s oversight of Allegiant that had been highlighted in recent media reports. These requestors include the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Ranking Member and Minority Members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; Congresswoman Jacky Rosen; and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos.

A key issue raised by a number of requestors is how FAA implements its compliance philosophy, which focuses on working with air carriers to address the root causes of noncompliances of safety regulations rather than emphasizing enforcement actions.

(Source: DOT OIG)

FMI: www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/Audit%20Re-Announcement%20-%20Air%20Carrier%20Maintenance%20%28Allegiant-American%29.pdf