Federal Auditor to Investigate FAA’s Safety Oversight of Southwest Airlines
Skift Take
The Department of Transportation's inspector general has several ongoing audits trying to measure the effectiveness of the Federal Aviation Administration. That's probably a nuisance to the FAA, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Oversight is important.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General's office said Wednesday it will investigate the effectiveness of the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight over Southwest Airlines, saying it had received a complaint about "alleged pilot training deficiencies," and other "operational issues" at the low-cost carrier.
"Recent events have raised concerns about FAA’s safety oversight, particularly for Southwest Airlines," Matthew E. Hampton, assistant inspector general for aviation audits, wrote in a letter announcing his plans for an audit that will begin later this month. "We are concerned whether FAA’s oversight includes an assessment of the carrier’s ability to identify hazards and analyze and mitigate risks,"
This is the latest in a series of audits Hampton has announced since May, all with the same goal — determining whether the FAA is up to the task as the nation's top aviation safety regulator. The audit comes two months after an engine on a Sout
