American Airlines said Wednesday it’s “shocked” to be one of two carriers included in a federal watchdog’s audit of how the Federal Aviation Administration oversees aircraft maintenance programs.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General began its audit last summer with a broad look at the FAA's oversight of airline maintenance programs industry-wide. On Wednesday, the office said it was narrowing the scope of the audit to focus on the FAA's oversight at two airlines, American and Allegiant.
The inspector general’s office said the earlier phase of its audit revealed that maintenance programs between airlines and how those carriers share information with the FAA vary widely based on fleet types and other operational considerations.
“Given these factors — as well as our analysis of complaints to the FAA hotline about the maintenance programs at two air carriers — we decided to refocus the next phase of the audit,” a memo from the inspector general’s office said.
The audit isn’t focused specifically on the maintenance practices at Allegiant and American. Rather, it’s looking at the FAA’s oversight of those programs, including whether factors like mergers, cost-cutting initiatives or an airline’s rapid expansion are sufficiently accounted for.
A key part of the audit going forward will be to assess the FAA’s processes for investigating allegations of improper maintenance practices at the carriers and whether the FAA ensures that corrective action taken by the airlines addresses the true cause of the problems.
The memo notes that the FAA has shifted its oversight strategy to focus more on working with carriers to address safety problems, rather than emphasizing enforcement actions like fines.
"The FAA is continually working to enhance safety for the flying public and is never content with the status quo,” the agency said in a statement. “This system is designed to identify potential risks before they become serious problems and ensure that corrective action is taken.”
American said Wednesday it was working to understand why it was one of two airlines in the review.
“We welcome all oversight from the federal agencies involved in ensuring the safety of the traveling public and are proud of our partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration,” the Fort Worth-based carrier said in a statement. “We stand by our strong safety record.”
Allegiant's maintenance practices have been under scrutiny following a series of media stories over the last several years, including a recent piece on 60 Minutes, that questioned the frequency of mechanical problems, unscheduled landings and in-flight emergencies at the Las Vegas based carrier.
The carrier has pushed back against the 60 Minutes reporting, accusing CBS of providing a one-sided narrative using selective interviews and statistics.
But the report, which also questioned the FAA’s oversight of Allegiant, has caught the attention of federal lawmakers, at least six of whom requested the DOT to examine the concerns raised.
Wednesday’s inspector general memo indicated that Allegiant and American were chosen to be included in the audit prior to the 60 Minutes report and congressional staff were notified of the decision in February.
Allegiant said Wednesday it welcomes “any analysis of our operation and safety culture, at any time.”
“It will show what we know to be true, that Allegiant operates at the highest level of safety, in strict adherence with all FAA regulations and guidelines,” the carrier said.
The FAA has faced its own scrutiny over the past month following a fatal accident involving an April 17 Southwest Airlines flight, when an engine fan blade broke off and caused serious damage to the aircraft, leading to the death of a passenger.
The FAA had been considering enhanced inspection requirements for engine fan blades following a similar, non-fatal incident on a 2016 Southwest flight, but those rules hadn’t been made mandatory at the time of last month’s accident.
The FAA has since required more frequent inspections of fan blades on that engine type.
