Action Signals Concern
About Breadth of Problem;
Lawmaker Hearings Loom

By ANDY PASZTOR and CHRISTOPHER CONKEY
March 19, 2008; Page A3

Federal aviation regulators took the unusual step of ordering special maintenance checks at every U.S. airline, a sign the government is concerned that safety lapses disclosed at Southwest Airlines Co. may be the tip of a broader problem.

The Federal Aviation Administration's far-reaching review of maintenance compliance also comes after preliminary spot checks at several other airlines recently uncovered some compliance paperwork that was questionable or difficult to quickly verify, one person familiar with the matter said. In addition, many airlines launched self-audits of the same compliance areas. It isn't clear whether FAA inspectors found significant safety threats, and government and industry officials didn't have any immediate comment.

The review, which is a first for the agency in terms of breadth and speed, will roll out in two phases. In the near term, agency inspectors have been ordered to make limited spot checks in the next 10 days, including examining whether airlines have completed required structural inspections of older Boeing 737 jets. Southwest faces a proposed $10.2 million civil penalty because it failed to promptly perform those checks but continued to fly the 46 affected planes.

More broadly, the FAA has instructed its top maintenance inspectors nationwide to finish by June 30 a much larger compliance audit covering a slice of required safety directives amounting to 10% of all such mandates. The second compliance snapshot applies to all airlines, from the largest international carriers to the smallest commuters, and the full range of aircraft types they operate.

The checks mostly involve paperwork related to compliance, but down the road will include some FAA checks of actual maintenance work under way.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the special reviews are intended "to make sure the airlines are in compliance" with all safety mandates. She added that FAA headquarters officials recently have emphasized that they "expect open communication about safety issues" among local regulators, as well as "professional relationships with the airlines."

The scope and speed of the checks indicate the extent of concern at the highest levels of the agency over whether its inspectors are doing an adequate job supervising compliance with air-safety rules.

Sen. Patty Murray, the Washington Democrat who is chairwoman of the appropriations subcommittee responsible for the FAA, said the review "raises concerns about the FAA's lax oversight" since the agency "now feels the need to doublecheck its work."

In the Southwest case, the agency has faced criticism because, after the airline's maintenance lapses were discovered, the local FAA office allowed it to keep carrying passengers on more than 1,400 flights while it completed the mandatory checks.

Yesterday's move heightens political pressure on the FAA and acting Administrator Robert Sturgell to demonstrate commitment to passenger safety. The agency also faces separate House and Senate hearings on maintenance oversight early next month, and its funding proposals before lawmakers for the next-generation air-traffic control system seem to be at a stalemate.

Enforcement efforts increasingly are shifting from a more hands-on role for the government to one that allows it to focus on identifying safety hazards primarily by evaluating data provided by the carriers themselves. Airlines have more flexibility and authority to tailor safety programs, from maintenance to pilot training, while regulators are able to target high-priority items. But that concept depends on how accurate the paperwork and how rigorous the internal controls are at the airlines.

In an email released by the agency, Nicholas Sabatini, the FAA's top safety official, referred to Southwest's troubles by telling the industry that "one carrier's noncompliance" makes it "necessary for us to validate our system for overseeing" compliance with safety mandates. "This in-depth review will assure us -- and you -- that we have sufficient data" to ensure that required inspections and repairs are promptly done, the message said.

Southwest's actions raised questions about the reliability of its internal controls. The local FAA office violated standard safety procedures by failing to ground the Southwest jets until all the mandatory inspections were done.

In a statement, Mr. Sturgell said available data indicate "flying is safer than ever," but "prudence dictates we take this additional precaution and conduct a special review."

The agency didn't pinpoint any specific new safety concerns, but it acted before its previously launched audit of Southwest maintenance has been finished.

The agency's comprehensive inspection program to sift through airline-generated data to pinpoint potential hazards -- called the Air Transportation Oversight System -- has been criticized over the years for various shortcomings.

Jim Hall, a former National Transportation Safety Board chairman, approved of the FAA review but called it "overdue." U.S. airlines "have spent too much time pointing at their safety record, and not enough time doing things that will maintain it," he said.

An airline group said the industry welcomed the decision as a way to validate the current safety approach. Basil Barimo, vice president of operations and safety at the Air Transport Association, which represents major U.S. airlines, said the review will give FAA officials confidence "to go before Congress and reassure them that the process is sound and the system is safe and the Southwest incident was, in fact, an anomaly."

Additional maintenance problems could further undermine the agency's credibility. "The FAA is checking up on itself and the airlines" to determine whether "coziness between some inspectors and carriers" is prompting the system "to overlook some things," said Richard Healing, a former safety board member.

Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who has scheduled a hearing on the issue, has said he is convinced the problems stretch beyond Southwest. Rep. Oberstar characterized the FAA review as "a positive step" and said the panel looks "forward to examining the matter in detail."

A similar view comes from the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, which represents many of the FAA's inspectors. Union President Tom Brantley, who is critical of the FAA's gradual shift toward greater reliance on industry cooperation, said FAA officials are "just looking to put something together that they can present at the hearing" to show that "everything is fine."