Aviation Safety: FAA's Use of Emergency Orders to Revoke or Suspend Operating Certificates

摘要

Since the fatal crashes of ValuJet Flight 592 in May 1996 and TWA flight 800 in July 1996, FAA'S oversight of the aviation community and the agency's enforcement actions in response to violations have come under increased scrutiny. While some have criticized FAA for not responding swiftly or forcefully enough to safety violations, others have questioned its haste in using emergency orders to suspend or revoke the certificates that pilots, airlines, and others need to operate. At the request of Senator James M. Inhofe, we recently completed a review of FAA'S use of emergency orders during fiscal years 1990 through 1997. Our report provided information on (1) the extent to which FAA used emergency orders, (2) the ways in which changes in FAA'S policies might have affected the agency's use of emergency orders, and (3) the time needed for FAA to investigate alleged violations and issue emergency orders.