Regulations and Government
GAO: FAA Dips Its Toes into SMS Waters

The FAA is making progress implementing safety management systems (SMS) both within the agency and for the aviation industry as a whole, but the effort is likely to take many years to complete, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

In a recent report to House and Senate aviation committees, the GAO concludes that the magnitude of SMS’s potential impact on aviation oversight and the complexity of implementation are both a benefit and a drawback for the FAA. While SMS implementation could help ensure the continued safety of the U.S. aviation system, it could also drag down other large initiatives as the agency works with limited resources.