Menu Search Account

LegiStorm

Get LegiStorm App Visit Product Demo Website
» Get LegiStorm App
» Get LegiStorm Pro Free Demo

Aviation Safety: FAA Oversight of Aviation Repair Stations

  Premium   Download PDF Now (10 pages)
Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date May 7, 1998
Report No. T-RCED-98-188
Subject
Summary:

In recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of repair stations has become a matter of concern, in part because the work done by repair stations has been cited as a factor in several aircraft accidents. For example, the National Transportation Safety Board found that a fatigue fracture from corrosion pits that were not discovered or properly fixed by a repair station was the probable cause of a propeller loss on an Atlantic Southeast Airlines Emraer-120 in August 1995. The plane crashed during an emergency landing, killing eight and injuring 21 others on board. Last year, GAO reported on FAA's oversight of repair stations. (See GAO/RCED-98-21, Oct. 1997.) This testimony, which draws on the findings of that report, discusses (1) the practice of using individual inspectors in repair station inspections, (2) the condition of inspection documentation, and (3) current FAA actions to improve the inspection process.

« Return to search Government Accountability Office reports