FAA Whistleblower Says He Was Threatened

Tells Congress Agency Viewed Airlines More Like "Customers" Than Companies To Be Regulated

(CBS/AP)  A House committee reported the findings of its investigation into the Federal Aviation Agency's safety oversight Thursday and heard testimony from airline safety inspectors and the Transportation Department's inspector general.

The whistleblowers who exposed maintenance and inspection problems at Southwest Airlines told Congress their jobs were threatened and their reports of noncompliance were ignored for years by their superiors.

FAA inspector Douglas Peters choked up Thursday at the hearing and needed a few sips of water to tell lawmakers about how a former manager came into his office, commented on pictures of Peters' family being most important, and then said his job could be jeopardized by his actions.

Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said FAA managers' actions displayed "malfeasance bordering on corruption," adding that if presented to a grand jury, the evidence would result in an indictment.

The Minnesota Democrat led Thursday's hearing.

The FAA last month took the rare step of ordering the audit of maintenance records at all domestic carriers following reports of missed safety inspections at Dallas-based Southwest. The airline was hit with a record $10.2 million fine for continuing to fly dozens of Boeing 737s that hadn't been inspected for cracks in their fuselages.

Both FAA whistleblowers - Charalambe Boutris and Peters - said the agency views the airlines as its "customers" instead of companies to be regulated. They said the FAA's chief maintenance inspector at Southwest, Douglas T. Gawadzinski, knowingly allowed Southwest to keep planes flying that put passengers at risk, and that another inspector knew of the problem and did nothing.

Gawadzinski is still employed by the FAA, but has no responsibility for safety decisions, said Nicholas Sabatini, the agency's associate administrator for aviation safety. The FAA will "take whatever action the law will allow" when the investigation into the Southwest episode is complete, he added.

Gawadzinski was not asked to testify at Thursday's hearing because he was considered to be a hostile witness who would most likely refuse to answer questions that could have incriminated himself, according to a spokesman for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Chairman Oberstar said as long as the FAA views the airlines as customers "that culture of safety will not take hold and is not going to permeate the organization."

Southwest is not the only carrier that has benefited from a "cozy" relationship with regulators, said Tom Brantley, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union that represents FAA inspectors.

In testimony prepared for the hearing, Brantley details maintenance and safety issues at United, Continental Airlines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp., Hawaiian Airlines Inc. and elsewhere where the carriers were given great leeway by the FAA to correct problems that inspectors on the ground said merited more serious attention. Financial penalties for infractions suggested by inspectors against United and other carriers also were ignored or significantly reduced by the time they were assessed, he added.

Adding to the airline industry's problems is the growing number of U.S. air travelers who have endured longer lines, more delays and the loss of amenities like meals and blankets.

And now they are getting hit with a wave of schedule disruptions caused by airlines scrambling amid increased regulatory scrutiny to ensure that the expanding air transport system stays safe.

The latest complication came Wednesday, when United Airlines temporarily grounded dozens of Boeing 777s to test their cargo fire-suppression systems.

United said it canceled 41 flights and delayed dozens of others as it carried out work on the long-haul jets after a review of maintenance records showed that a test on a bottle in the fire suppression system hadn't been performed.

The move affected thousands of passengers around the world, as United's 777s mostly fly international routes from its major hubs. Among those grounded was a 777 used by many members of the White House press corps, who were traveling with President Bush in Romania - though it wasn't set to fly again until Friday.

United, a subsidiary of UAL Corp., said Wednesday that the 777s have "intuitive" self-diagnostic systems that would have detected any malfunction with the fire suppression system. The company said it alerted authorities after the missed test was discovered.

Testing on all 52 of United's 777s - 11 percent of its overall fleet - was expected to be completed sometime Thursday. The Chicago-based carrier said 36 of the jets had been inspected and cleared to fly by late afternoon Wednesday. The planes fly mostly from Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Washington Dulles, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

United carried out unscheduled maintenance on seven of its Boeing 747 jets last month but said it found no safety-related issues.

Schedule foul-ups due to inspections have been commonplace since early March, including hundreds of flights canceled last week by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines as they checked wiring bundles on some planes. Stepped-up inspections began when the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a check of maintenance records at all domestic carriers after revelations surfaced about missed safety inspections at Southwest Airlines Co.

The FAA said Wednesday that four U.S. airlines are under investigation for failing to comply with federal aviation regulations, but would not name the carriers. Officials said three airlines had missed inspection deadlines and that penalties could be levied, though it would be several months before the probe was complete.

Industry experts warned that passengers can expect more headaches as the FAA and airlines work to guarantee safety amid the rise in air travel - though federal officials are quick to note that this has been one of the safest periods in aviation history.

The last U.S. crash of a jumbo jet was Nov. 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 lost part of its tail and plummeted into a New York City neighborhood, killing 265 people.

[oleander8]

Does this mean the FAA may have to pay back the bribes from Southwest?

[fstop100]

Doesn''t it make you feel so good our government is there for us?

[samrensho]

Does this mean the FAA may have to pay back the bribes from Southwest?
Posted by oleander8

Shooter and Shrub have already spent them :-))

[rhombus77]

Has anyone else noticed a similar parallel between what''s going on with the FAA and the airline industry, and what''s going on with the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry? A little "too cozy"? A government agency that is supposed to be policing an industry instead acting more like a partner and an advocate for that industry? We already know of the "revolving door" that exists between the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry. Perhaps now we''ll learn of a similar situation between the FAA and the airlines. I feel safer already.

[joyous88]

like all of the governmental regulatory bodies,
the FAA has been slashed and burned for the new

era of neo conservative greed, they will bail out the wall street wealthy with billions of dollars,

but not one penny for the FAA, the VA, social security,education or anything else a normal american might need.

neo cons are un american bushs belong in prison

[ibzjem]

Has anyone else noticed a similar parallel between what''''s going on with the FAA and the airline industry, and what''''s going on with the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry?
Posted by rhombus77 at 09:33 AM : Apr 03, 2008

Oh, but they are working for the "good" of the people. You know, finding "cures" for all our twitchy big toe "syndromes".

LOL

[lochlan-2009]

"On one hand, it is a regulatory relationship and there should be an edge to it. On the other hand, the relationship is built on a partnership. And I think that relationship between the carriers and the FAA has become too cozy."

Couldn''t have been said any better. The FAA have always worked using, logic, and common sense and don''t need to be some iron clad fist, regulating to the fullest extent of the law. However, common sense should be our highest priority, meaning safety is never put second to profits for airlines. An evaluation is a good check and ballance.

[tomanyt]

Oh good, another hearing. What will this hearing produce. Nothing. Just like all the other hearings they have had...Credit Card Industry, the Housing Industry and now the Airline Industry. What a complete waste of time and money.

[afmca]

This issue can once again be placed firmly at the feet of Bush, Cheney, and the Republican Party. Their total distaste for government regulators has allowed American businesses to run amok. America now has lethal toys being sold; mad cow tainted beef being distributed; banks and mortgage companies destroy the economy; mines collapsing and killing workers; environmental laws being laughed at by polluters; and now airplanes that aren''t even inspected as required. No wonder American businesses want tort reform; their disregard for the customers has never been higher.

[jumkey]

joyous88: you are exactly correct. I have come to believe that the legacy of Bush won''t be his overtly illegal acts (the war, torture, spying on Americans) but that he turned the US government into his own personal political organization, just like the Soviets did.

The Republican mantra is "government doesn''t work" and they set out every single day to conspire to make government fail - then they say "see, told you so". Worst of all they tax you for the "service".

I assume this sudden burst of regulatory fervor is the result of actual professional regulators growing some balls and saying "enough" or the threat was so great that a catastrophe was imminent. Whatever the circumstances I''m sure the Bush administration (being true to form and showing no other method of operation) fought this tooth an nail. They simply don''t care about Americans.

[demslie]

This issue can once again be placed firmly at the feet of Bush, Cheney, and the Republican Party. Their total distaste for government regulators has allowed American businesses to run amok. America now has lethal toys being sold; mad cow tainted beef being distributed; banks and mortgage companies destroy the economy; mines collapsing and killing workers; environmental laws being laughed at by polluters; and now airplanes that aren''''t even inspected as required. No wonder American businesses want tort reform; their disregard for the customers has never been higher.

Posted by afmca

Once again, the Bitter Anger and Hate the Democrats have for everything American is demonstrated here. This story is about Aviation Safety. The Democrat Rant here (Communist Manifesto) is about hate for everything American. And tort reform would protect Americans from all Democrat Slimee Lawyers who get Billions in Awards and are the Largest Cash Contributors to the DNC. The Democrats could not give a DAMNN about Aircraft Safety. They only want protect their largest CASH contributors, The Trial Lawyers Association and Aviation Unions. One important point that CBS (Communist News Network) and The Angry Democrats purposely left out is that all of the so called "Whistle Blowers" are actually high ranking Union Members. They are angry at Bankrupt Airlines for negotiating lower labor costs to stay in Business. And those Union Members are, of course, Democrats. Now you know the rest of the story.

[bobbyduck1]

Demslie - your twisted neocon bias blinds you to the patently obvious. Bush, Cheney and co. have pulled the teeth from every regulatory agency in the country, and created an environment that favors big business'' bottom line at the expense of everything else, period. The well-being of America and Americans no longer even bears consideration under this farcical nightmare of a regime. Open your eyes and ears and get real!

[pensacola88]

No airline flies as much now as it used to before 2001. Some airlines have a credible arguement that basing inspections on calendar cycles as opposed to usage times clicking on the Hobbs meter is viable.

At this time there are about 10,000,000 less international visitors in this country since 2001. By the way, when each foreign visitor spent $100 a day, it was contributing $1,000,000,000 or One Billion dollars to our economy daily. This is one reason the US dollar looses stregnth against Canadian and Euro Dollars, which reflects the new destinations of foreign tourists.

Aircraft that don''t fly as much need somewhat less maintenence.

[randynason]

I heard this story on NPR this morning and quite frankly, it is a sin that nothing has been done to this point. The FAA has known about this problem for over a decade and have only enjoyed their "immunity" with regard to inspections from this administration because no one was willing to stick their necks out, until now. As a matter of fact, whistle-blowers were punished and relieved of their duties. Some heads need to roll and no more excuses, either. At this stage of the game in my life, smoke up my *ss is an inconvenience, and not considered foreplay.

[jumkey]

demslie and it''s posts are the perfect example of how off-the-hinges the Bushbots have become.

Inspecting airplanes means you "hate America"? If anyone can parse that and make any sense of I''d like to hear it.

Apparently Demslie is what''s left of the conservative movement, and it''s not pretty.

[bookout2]

Just a few more months of the Bush Administration.
Will we have a major air crash tragedy till then?

[macusweil]

Name one government agencies or organization under Bush & the republicans which due to corruption and cronyism hasn''t failed its mission to protect our citizens?

GOP too often confuses Patronage with Patriotism.

If memory serves, and I believe there was a History Channel show about this, the FAA is a dual propose agency, to promote both safety and the airlines. That doesn%u2019t excuse what has happened, because nothing overrides safety, regardless if it be for 1 person or 300.

There is a way to stop this kind of stuff. Right now the gov. fines a company, the company pays the fine and the fine becomes a cost of doing business. Don%u2019t change that, add to it. Fine the company person that signs off on whatever is in dispute, or the CEO/Department head. Say a percentage of their pay, like 50-90 percent, PLUS the amount of any kick-backs or bribes. In case of anything illegal, bring that same person up on charges. Treat the FAA (or whatever gov. entity is in dispute) the same. When people are held accountable for their decisions, those decisions will be made as they should be.

[prairiefox1]

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LATEST HEARINGS ON BIG OIL?
NOTICE THEY HAVE LET IT FADE AWAY! AND WITHOUT A LAME EXPLANATION OF WHY THEY FOUND NOTHING AMISS?
THE PEOPLE ARE FED UP WITH THESE STAGED SHOWS IN CONGRESS AND WE WANT RESULTS AND NOTHING ELSE!
AND I DON''T CARE IF YOU ALL ARE OWNED BY BIG OIL!
THIS HAS TO END NOW!

[sgtrds]

The Bush administration has gutted the FAA, EPA, OSHA, MSHA, etc all at the expense of the average American and in favor of the already rich and big corporations. They simply do not care who has to die for the rich to get richer. To them all Americans outside of their "class" are somehow sub-human. This is class warfare and they''re winning....for now!

[tucano2]

Seems the FINE is fine at $10M, but it''s against SWA instead of E.E.O. Gary C. Kelly and the rest of the Board of Directors. Kelly has always been a bean-counter, not a pilot. What''s absolutely required is knocking these people in the head and/or wallet to get to stop thumbing their collective noses at SAFETY INSPECTIONS and MAINTENANCE.

[tucano2]

Southwest''s C.E.O. G.C. Kelly ought to lose his job, if not his head, for thumbing his nose at safety, and for arrogantly demeaning his customers and employees by having them fly in very old equipment he knows requires extra maintenance just to keep them flying. How dare he consider his profit more important than my wife and 3 kids, or for that matter any one of his employees.

[rushlimpdrug]

" . . One important point that CBS (Communist News Network) . ."
Posted by demslie at 11:39 AM


Your "Communist News Network" would be
CNN?

Are you ok?
Did you take your pills today?
Do you need a doctor?

[dan9111]

Let me get this straight. A person was threatened with "being fired" for telling the truth, and that is a wrong threat to make. Yet if a person is threatened with "being fired at" for refusing to pay for the Iraq war, then that is an OK threat?

The government is so really dumb I cannot even pause to laugh.

[jumkey]

Ya mean now it comes out the inspectors were threatened to keep their mouths shut about safety violations?

What a surprise.

Who would have thunk it, I mean except for those of us infected with Bush Derangement Syndrome that is. We''re CRAZY ya know, CRAZY!

I think this is about the 3rd story about airplane grounding on this website and every time someone suggested that politics might play a role here they were shouted down by the screeching wingnut zombies with the kool-aid stained mouths.

Another crack in Dear Leader''s facade.

[mrbrill]

There is definitely something wrong here... How can a company knowing violate laws which are there for the purpose of public safety, blatantly ignore those laws, and only face "fines"? Someone should be arrested for criminal negligence!

[rebelscout]

So they transfered the clown? I guess you have to KILL someone at the FAA before you get fired!

[luangtom]

I certainly find it ironic to see Rep. Oberstar sitting
in the chair chastising FAA officials knowing his wife
sits on the board of Northwest Airlines headquartered
in his home state of MN. Oversight of an industry that
the family has vested interest in.....hmmmmmmmm.......

[luangtom]

I certainly find it ironic to see Rep. Oberstar sitting
in the chair chastising FAA officials knowing his wife
sits on the board of Northwest Airlines headquartered
in his home state of MN. Oversight of an industry that
the family has vested interest in.....hmmmmmmmm.......

[luangtom]

I certainly find it ironic to see Rep. Oberstar sitting
in the chair chastising FAA officials knowing his wife
sits on the board of Northwest Airlines headquartered
in his home state of MN. Oversight of an industry that
the family has vested interest in.....hmmmmmmmm.......
very interesting.

[luangtom]

I certainly find it ironic to see Rep. Oberstar sitting
in the chair chastising FAA officials knowing his wife
sits on the board of Northwest Airlines headquartered
in his home state of MN. Oversight of an industry that
the family has vested interest in.....hmmmmmmmm.......
very interesting.

[luangtom]

I certainly find it ironic to see Rep. Oberstar sitting
in the chair chastising FAA officials knowing his wife
sits on the board of Northwest Airlines headquartered
in his home state of MN. Oversight of an industry that
the family has vested interest in.....hmmmmmmmm.......
very interesting.

[luangtom]

I certainly find it ironic to see Rep. Oberstar sitting
in the chair chastising FAA officials knowing his wife
sits on the board of Northwest Airlines headquartered
in his home state of MN. Oversight of an industry that
the family has vested interest in.....hmmmmmmmm.......
very interesting.

[ridinflyer]

January 18, 2008, a British Airways Boeing 777 touched down just above stall speed, and short of the runway at London, driving the landing gear struts into the wings. Incredibly, there was no fire and no one was killed. The engine power "Rolled Back" to idle power. The pilots were unable to effect an increase of power as they were on final approach to land. A pilot directed "Go Around" was not possible. The engine manufacture says this can''t happen, but, it did! No definitive answer has been made to date for this potentially catastrophic incident. No inspections have been ordered by the FAA to the hundreds of US registered B777''s. Why? No "Smoking Hole", then NO Interest by the NEWS INDUSTRY? Who''s protecting whose interest "UNSOLVED aviation Mystery"?

[dennishart4]

Sign our petition to have this brought before the house of representatives. It%u2019s time to take a stand against injustice. www.theoandavirus.com.

[dan9111]

There is definitely something wrong here... How can a company knowing violate laws which are there for the purpose of public safety, blatantly ignore those laws, and only face "fines"? Someone should be arrested for criminal negligence!

Posted by mrbrill

Actually, the government frequently proves in court that the laws are for *compliance*. Not for safety. The Iraq war is certainly not safe. And these planes were not all "proven" unsafe anyway, just found to be in "noncompliance". Did you even read the article?

[naucoming4u]

As proven by the FDA, FEMA, FTC, and other government departments...

...this Neo-Con/Nazi administrations plan of nearly disbanding the government for the sake of corporate interests is going full steam.

The plan:

1. Appoint and recruit completely incompetent industry insiders into the governing departments designed to regulate and oversee the companies that Americans are exposed to everyday.

2. Ensure the incompetent heads of said governing departments places the interests of corporate "America" over the interests of the American people that the departments are supposed to protect.

3. When Americans are put in danger and/or harmed by the unscrupulous corporations, ensure that the various governing departments appear to be incompetent and lacking authority... for the sole purpose of Neo-Conservatives to claim the typical retarded Reagan BS line of "...government is not the solution, government is the problem."

4. Continually (try to) convince the American people that government is "the problem" when the evening news points out the lack of action by said governing departments.

[naucoming4u]

One of the 14 points of a fascist government is quite clear in this story:

Corporate Power is Protected...

The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

Real Americans should be affraid of the Bush regime and should do everything possible to ensure their existence, their ideals, and their criminal acts are NOT continued any longer. November is our last chance.

[mcv57]

The U.S. Government is so saturated in corruption, the civil service lawyers can get rich off this internal power struggle. I got fired for whistleblowing.

[rebelscout]

We seem to be going the way of the Roman Empire, Not a very good thought is it?

[rebelscout]

You are raised and taught to do the right thing yet when you do you end up fired! What the hell has happened to us when we begin to believe the line from Wall Street" GREED IS GOOD"

[naucoming4u]

You are raised and taught to do the right thing yet when you do you end up fired! What the hell has happened to us when we begin to believe the line from Wall Street" GREED IS GOOD"

Posted by rebelscout at 08:11 PM : Apr 03, 2008
..............

But in reality, greed... (for lack of a better term)...

...IS A DISEASE!

Every human being on this planet has it. Some are better at controlling it, while others thrive on it.

[lovegetpeace]

Hey rebelscout,
The 1st thing that went into my mind was Wall Street "Corruption is good" then something better than that:

CAPITALISM LOVES CORRUPTION!

[lovegetpeace]

Hey NAUcoming4U,
Good ''Bush Plan'' you put here.

[bm6005]

The Republican mantra is "government doesn''''t work" and they set out every single day to conspire to make government fail - then they say "see, told you so". Worst of all they tax you for the "service".
Posted by jumkey

You have seen exactly what the repubs been doing since the mid 90''s when the stupid dems lost control due to guess what? Corruption!!

[rushlimpdrug]

Freakin'' Bast*rds
I am soooo sick of this worthless bush, repubs, and do nothing congress.
I''ve been voting for anyone not in office.
These azzzholes don''t give a ratzz azzz about anything.
They investigate Roger the baseball player with a q-tip
and superficially look at flight inspections waaaaay late in the game.
Bunch of Freakin'' Reeeetards!

[sgtrds]

We seem to be going the way of the Roman Empire, Not a very good thought is it?

Posted by rebelscout at 08:07 PM : Apr 03, 2008

Mixing in some Nazism too. The corrupt right wing tried to send a popular Alabama governor to prison in retaliation, so they''re just one small step away from "disappearing" people that they don''t like.

[wogerwabbit]

Chairman Oberstar said as long as the FAA views the airlines as customers "that culture of safety will not take hold and is not going to permeate the organization."

This is the way our whole freakin'' government is run thanks to Bush and his brain-dead Republican zombies. They think life is cheap unless you''re ''un-born'', worship profit and pose themselves as patriotic in an attempt to cover their sins. Let me assure you, if the God they profess to believe in truly had His will be done, we''ll all be cheering as the Bushwackers climb the gallows and free the world of their evil. Amen.

[bgwinnett]

Lucky if they were Airbus''s they would have fallen out of the sky.

[andrew_693]

and we thought that business took care of itself if we left it unregulated or unchecked. Thank god not everyone is so naive.