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

摘要

Since the fatal crashes of ValueJet Flight 592 in May 1996 and TWA Flight 800 inJuly 1996, FAA's oversight of the aviation community and the agency's enforcement actions in response to violations have come under increases 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 your request, we reviewed FAA's use of emergency orders during fiscal years 1990 through 1997. This report provides information on (1) the extent to which FAA used emergency orders, including data on regional variation in their use, the types of certificates holders affected, and the final outcomes of case initiated using emergency orders; (2) the ways in which changes in FAA's policies might have affected the agency's use for emergency orders; and (3) the time needed for FAA to investigate alleged violations and issue emergency orders.