FAA Changes Include AD Enforcement

U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is directing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry out 13 new safety recommendations from an independent review team, including two that deal with airworthiness directives (ADs). The first recommendation is that FAA should retain its right to ground any aircraft that does not comply with an applicable AD, and inspectors should not be required “to conduct any type of risk assessment before taking action on AD non-compliance.” The second review board recommendation involves providing timely data about new AD requirements to FAA field offices and airlines, ahead of compliance dates. According to Peters, FAA is conducting a full review of AD compliance procedures, and expects to implement changes by the end of the year. The 13 recommendations “will improve both the intensity and the integrity of the FAA’s safety program,” she says. Other initiatives include FAA establishing new safeguards to discourage staff members from developing “overly cozy” relationships with the airlines they regulate, and implementing an internal safety management system by 2011.
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