The problems of aging aircraft are further exacerbated by the deficiencies in FAA's inspection programs, according to both the DOT IG and GAO. While FAA's Nick Sabatini cited the ATOS program as improving safety by managing risks before they cause accidents, the two organizations indicated that ATOS and its ancillary program, SEP, need work.

GAO's Gerald Dillingham stated the FAA lacks an evaluation program and accurate nationwide data on these programs to ensure the programs are effective. He also criticized FAA's inspector training programs, calling them ad hoc instead of part of an overall curriculum, adding the FAA has yet to systematically identify the technical skills and competencies each type of inspector needs.

Dillingham indicated that the inspector workloads for the SEP program were too high and not oriented toward managing risks. Given the high workload, he expressed concern over the impact of transferring nearly 100 airlines to the ATOS roster planned for completion in December 2007.

He criticized FAA's failure to monitor the increasing use of non-certificated contract maintenance facilities. The IG reported FAA was unaware that critical and scheduled aircraft maintenance were being done by uncertificated facilties. While FAA believes this responsibility rests with the air carriers, these facilities do not have the same regulatory requirements, safeguards or quality control.

DOT Acting IG Todd Zinser charged FAA does not know how many non-certificated maintenance facilities air carriers currently use because it does not maintain a list of such facilities. However, during its audit, the IG identified over 1,400 non-certificated repair facilities performing maintenance for 19 air carriers. It also found that neither FAA nor the six air carriers it visited provided adequate oversight and relied largely on telephone contact.

Both the GAO and the IG found that FAA was still focused on the airlines' in-house maintenance programs at a time when 62 percent of airline maintenance is contracted out. Between 1996 and 2005, air carriers' use of external repair facilities grew from 37 percent of the carriers' maintenance costs to 62 percent, said Zinser. As for foreign repair station inspections, FAA does not inspect them at all, he said, adding that it also has no way to monitor the surveillance performed by other authorities.

Nor is the system designed for the changes in aircraft manufacturing in the last decade when aircraft parts and components suppliers gained an increasingly prominent role in aviation manufacturing. FAA's oversight system does not consider the number of suppliers that manufacturers use or the fact that suppliers have now have more design and production responsibility.