Safety Improvements Prescribed for FAA

Sept. 10, 2008— -- An investigation into Federal Aviation Administration safety procedures -- launched after high-profile inspection gaffes at Southwest and American Airlines -- has resulted in a report that includes 13 safety recommendations for the agency.

On Wednesday, an independent commission called for in April to examine whether the FAA effectively tackled aviation safety gave the air safety system overall good marks but stressed that improvements could be made.

"There are important issues that need to be taken care of, but basically the system is sound," commission member Malcolm K. Sparrow told ABC News Wednesday.

The FAA came under intense scrutiny earlier this year for a series of incidents involving how the federal agency inspects the airlines to ensure they're safe for travelers.

The FAA's relationship with Southwest came under fire when the airline was allowed to fly planes without the required maintenance. Southwest was fined $10.2 million in March, but the incident sparked outrage from lawmakers and travelers alike who accused the FAA of maintaining too cozy a relationship with the airlines that it regulates. Many said that sort of relationship allowed for Southwest to continue operating for too long without adhering to required safety and inspection checks.

In a spate of inspections that followed, the FAA worked to make sure other carriers' inspections were up to standard.

Not long after, American Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights in one week in early April to redo maintenance work on wires. With thousands of passengers inconvenienced at once, many people wondered why the FAA needed to ground all the planes at the same time and questioned why it didn't foresee the problem and confront it more effectively.

To clean up the FAA's tarnished image, the Department of Transportation then set up an independent commission in mid-April to examine FAA safety procedures.

After interviewing hundreds of people, including 350 front-line aviation inspectors and nine airline management teams, commission members announced their recommendations for the federal agency Wednesday.

Acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgell said the FAA needs to do a better job of analyzing data to better predict safety trends.

Per the panel's recommendations, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said that by the end of the year, the FAA will have clear guidance to make sure FAA officials and airlines both adequately understand maintenance safety orders and their deadlines.

The commission also recommended regular audits to ensure that FAA managers who have been working at the same field office for more than three years don't maintain overly close relationships with the airlines that would prevent them from effectively doing their jobs.

In a joint press conference today, the FAA and the Department of Transportation reiterated that a cozy relationship between the FAA and the airlines is not acceptable. Members of the commission said they thought the incident at Southwest Airlines was unique to that office.

"The only customer that matters in the end is the flying public," said Peters.

The panel also recommended that the voluntary disclosure program that allows airlines to self-report safety lapses to the FAA be more strictly monitored. Peters said the FAA will use a new automated data system to ensure airlines comply.

Commission member William O. McCabe said it's key to put protections in place so airlines don't abuse the voluntary disclosure system. But he added that keeping the voluntary disclosure system intact is crucial.

"If that dries up, you're left with no big accident trends and no one talking and you are blind," McCabe said.

"We strongly reaffirm the voluntary disclosure programs," said Ambassador Edward W. Stimpson, chairman of the commission. "We were impressed by the FAA's culture of safety."