U.S. air carriers will be prohibited from employing former FAA safety inspectors for a two-year period by terms of a final rule that takes effect October 21. The new FAA rule is a byproduct of an incident in which inspectors overseeing Southwest Airlines were found to be too friendly with the airline. “The flying public can rest assured that our aviation safety inspectors will remain focused on protecting the flying public without any conflicts of interest,” declared U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
In 2008, the FAA launched an industry-wide safety audit following revelations that Southwest had failed to perform mandatory inspections of 46 Boeing 737s in 2006 and 2007 to check for fuselage fatigue cracking. FAA inspectors testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in April that year said senior managers in FAA’s Irving, Texas, regional office overseeing Southwest had blocked investigations of the airline’s safety compliance and threatened their jobs. A subsequent review by the Department of Transportation inspector general (IG) concluded that the FAA’s certificate management office had failed to perform the required inspections and “developed an overly collaborative relationship” with the airline. The IG recommended a two-year “cooling off” period to prohibit an air carrier from hiring former safety inspectors from FAA’s Flight Standards Service who may have previously inspected that carrier.
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