U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today called on Steve Dickson, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to review and act upon concerns raised by whistleblowers in a newly released Committee report, which illustrate a troubling erosion of safety oversight in the aviation manufacturing process.
“Together, these allegations illustrate the importance of a course correction that puts safety first and listens to the voices of line engineers,” Sen. Cantwell wrote in a letter to Administrator Dickson. “In recognition of the whistleblowers’ important information sharing, I request that you review each allegation thoroughly, and where warranted, open an investigation to determine whether conduct is contrary to FAA policies and procedures.”
“The Committee expects to hold additional hearings next year in anticipation of the FAA’s reauthorization in 2023,” Sen. Cantwell added.
The Aviation Safety Whistleblower Report details information provided to the Committee by seven whistleblowers, including accounts of undue pressure from industry to shortcut approvals, failure of FAA and industry managers to listen to line engineers, and chronic understaffing and decreasing technical expertise at the FAA's Boeing Aviation Safety Oversight Office (“BASOO”). The report is part of the Committee’s continued investigation into the design and certification of the 737 MAX, and the implementation of Congressionally mandated safety reforms under the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act.
In acknowledging the contributions of the whistleblowers, Sen. Cantwell separately stated: “Whistleblowers play a valuable role by coming forward. In this case, they illuminated important aviation safety issues. I’m grateful to these whistleblowers who gave the committee invaluable insight in crafting the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act.”
The text of the letter is here.
