Denies Need To 'Clean House' In Inspectors Office
Before launching into prepared remarks Monday at the 33rd Annual
FAA Forecast Conference, Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell took
a moment to defend his agency's safety record, in light of last
week's reports of possible safety oversights by agency
inspectors.
As ANN reported last week,
two former FAA inspectors came forward with charges Southwest
Airlines deliberately continued flying 46 of its older 737 Classic
models without required fuselage fatigue and rudder system
inspections. The airline -- which touts an enviable safety record
in 37 years of operations -- later found that six of those aircraft
had fatigue cracks.
The FAA subsequently proposed a staggering $10.2 million fine
against Southwest, saying the carrier took "deliberate" measures to
circumvent the mandatory inspection interval process. Southwest
counters it alerted the agency to the problem on its own... and
furthermore, the airline says representatives with the FAA and
planemaker Boeing signed off on its plan to rotate its aircraft
fleet through the inspection process.
That revelation has led
some to suggest the agency is attempting a serious CYA maneuver in
calling for the record fine, while overlooking a potentially
dangerous level of familiarity between FAA inspectors and the
companies they oversee.
"But before we get going, I’d like to comment on some
things that have been said following a high profile event involving
one of our major commercial air carriers about the need for
"cleaning house,” that the FAA’s "too cozy” with
the airlines," Sturgell said Monday. "I reject that suggestion. "It
is because of the system we have put in place today — where
everyone is dedicated to safety and aviation professionals can
raise safety concerns without fear — that flying is far, far
safer than ever. The numbers prove it."
Sturgell continued with a defensive posture. "The traveling
public is counting on us to get it right today, and to keep getting
it right tomorrow," he said. "Today’s complex aviation system
demands a modern regulatory approach that takes into account both
enforcement and cooperative elements. Later this week, we’ll
be meeting with all of our senior safety managers — looking
at what went wrong, where we as an agency need to improve,
discussing best practices, and finding ways to continually improve
our system of safety oversight."
"...A word about our inspectors," Sturgell continued. "They are
dedicated safety professionals, and they’re tough as nails.
As someone who’s been on the receiving end of more than a few
check rides, I consider myself an expert on the matter. One thing
we all knew was that when it came to the inspectors, there was no
wiggle room. You either hit the numbers or you didn’t
fly.
"It’s one thing to ask tough questions and demand tougher
answers. It’s vital, for example, that we constantly examine
and reexamine our safety procedures, protocols, and processes. And
develop lessons learned from events like this. But, it is entirely
another to call into question the very integrity of our entire
aviation system.
"Safety is serious business, and we’re serious about our
business. And it’s because we take things seriously that the
forecast looks the way it does overall. So let’s get on with
why we’re here."
The unedited transcript of the remainder Sturgell's speech is
available here.