Alaska Accidents Show Pattern of Lenient FAA Oversight | Aviation International News

Alaska Accidents Show Pattern of Lenient FAA Oversight

The FAA continues to struggle with minimal inspector staffing in Alaska, where operators face challenging conditions and crashes are frequent.

NTSB investigator Clint Crookshanks and board member Jennifer Homendy near the site of some of the wreckage of the DHC-2 Beaver that was involved in the midair collision near Ketchikan, Alaska, on May 13, 2019. (NTSB Photo by Peter Knudson)

By Colleen Mondor

August 4, 2021

In 2018 and 2019, Alaskan small commuter and air-taxi operator Taquan Air Services was involved in three accidents that caused serious injuries and fatalities. While they appear unrelated at first glance, a closer examination reveals a company struggling with deficits in training and operational control coupled with a lack of FAA oversight.

The federal issues in particular raise many questions. Taquan Air cycled through five FAA principal operations inspectors (POIs) in the 15 months before the most recent crash. The inspectors suffered from excessive caseloads, heavy travel schedules, lack of relevant aircraft knowledge, and dearth of experience in Alaskan Part 135 operations. Two of them were based in South Carolina, on the other side of the country.

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