Among the most dangerous activities in the aviation industry is the installation on an aircraft of unapproved or bogus parts – parts that have not been properly tested, approved, and certified as safe. The practice has been linked to the crash of both commercial and private aircraft. It is illegal to install uncertified parts on
FAA
737 Max Families Demand that FAA Chief Be Replaced
Families of those lost in the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crash met with Biden’s Transportation Department seeking to get the top FAA official fired for being “too cozy” with Boeing. According to the families, “The FAA has been, and continues to be, more interested in protecting Boeing and the aviation industry than safety.” …
Evidence from Bell Helicopter Case Yields Clue in Unsolved Murder Investigation; Exposes Aviation Industry Influence
The FAA is too cozy with the manufacturers it is supposed to regulate. I’ve been writing about that since 2009. The press is just now becoming interested, asking how the FAA ever allowed the 737 Max to be certified.
What does that have to do with a helicopter case and a murder investigation?…
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302: Can Families Hold the FAA Liable For Certifying the Boeing 737 Max 800 As Safe When It Wasn’t?
Normally, the FAA cannot be sued for doing a bad job certifying an aircraft as safe. But in the case of the 737 Max, things might be different.
As a general rule, the FAA cannot be sued as long as, in certifying the aircraft as safe, it was exercising its “discretion.” The United States Supreme…
FAA’s Approval of the 737 Max Questioned – But Why Now?
Both the Department of Justice and Transportation Department’s inspector general are investigating the FAA’s approval of the Boeing 737 Max and, in particular, the aircraft’s anti-stall system known as MCAS.
The FAA is supposed to ensure that Boeing aircraft are safe. Investigators want to know:
- Are the FAA and Boeing too cozy?
- Is the FAA’s
…
FAA Turns Over Increasing Inspection Authority to Manufacturers
Four years ago, the NTSB questioned whether manufactures like Boeing should be allowed to self-certify that their aircraft designs meet FAA requirements. The NTSB suggested that “self-certification” may have contributed to the battery fires that were being experienced on Boeing’s 787s. After all, it’s the FAA’s job to make an independent determination that an aircraft…
Bogus Airplane Parts and a Cessna 182 Crash
A courageous client speaks to Stephen Stock about the risks to the flying public.
FAA Kept Sleeping Controllers Study Results Secret
Air traffic controllers fall asleep on the job. At least they do occasionally. That came as big news in 2011, when two airliners landed at Washington’s Reagan National Airport without ATC help because the lone controller was snoozing. No injuries there, but in 2006 a Comair regional jet crashed while taking off in Kentucky, killing…
USA Today: Cover-ups Mask Roots of Small-Aircraft Crashes
A few hours ago, USA Today published a lengthy investigative report devoted to small aircraft crashes. The conclusion: aviation manufacturers have long concealed the fact that their defectively designed products cause aircraft crashes and injures. And the investigating agencies, including the NTSB and FAA, let them get away with it.
The report covers many of…
NTSB Questions FAA’s Practice of Allowing Boeing to Self-Certify its Designs
The FAA allows Boeing to certify its own design work. That means that, at least to some extent, Boeing now regulates itself. That never seemed like such a great idea to me. After all, isn’t it the FAA’s job to make an independent determination that an aircraft design is safe? Does it make sense for the FAA…