Report Cites Bad Violation Tracking, Reduced Fines
The General Accounting Office, the
investigative arm of Congress, says the FAA isn't doing nearly
enough to protect commercial aviation passengers.
The GAO report, obtained by the Washington Times says the FAA
needs to implement better management controls to make sure it
enforces its own rules over both commercial and general
aviation.
The investigation covered sanctions against companies and
individuals between 1993 and 2003. Among other things, the Times
reports the GAO found:
- the FAA imposed $334 million in fines on companies and
individuals. However, FAA legal staffers reduced those fines to
$162 million.
- the FAA doesn't monitor the effects of its own enforcement
actions. Therefore, the agency has no way of knowing how much good
it's doing by levying fines and other sanctions.
- the database used by the FAA to track violations and sanctions
is both incomplete and difficult to use. Its use varies from one
office to another.
What bothers Congressman Peter
DeFazio (D-OR) is the lack of uniformity in the FAA's handling of
safety violations. "At a time when the airlines are struggling
financially, ineffective or inconsistent enforcement of
aviation-safety regulations could undermine public confidence in
the safety of flight. In fact, when airline revenue is low, the FAA
should increase their scrutiny even more to be sure that the
industry is not cutting corners on safety to save a few dollars and
meet their bottom line," he said. DeFazio is a member of the House
Aviation Subcommittee.
FAA Reaction
The FAA disputed some of the GAO findings, according to the
Washington Times. Take, for instance, the reduction of fines by
legal staffers.
"What happens as in any legal case, negotiations are made, there
are mitigating circumstances that are brought up," said an FAA
spokesman who asked not to be named. "Sometimes, there is not
enough evidence to take it to court. This is not unusual to any
regulatory agency."
While the FAA says it mitigates fines when it's apparent the
person or company involved is making an effort to right the wrong,
investigators found 3,200 cases that were closed without the
imposition of any sanctions at all. Yet, the FAA spokesman said the
agency will come down hard when there's clear evidence of
violations. "We will if it is necessary and have done so," he
said.
Industry Reaction
"The report findings are flawed," said Doug Wills, spokesman for
the Air Transport Association, a trade group for major airlines, in
an interview with the Times. "Airline travel is safer today than it
has ever been in the history of commercial aviation. In the last 30
years, the number of airline accidents has decreased more than 50
percent."