PASS Statement on the Ethiopian Airlines Crash
- Details
- Published: March 13, 2019
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS) has issued the following statement on the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft involved and the ongoing investigation:
PASS-represented employees in the Flight Standards service at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are responsible for the oversight, certification and surveillance of the entire American aviation system, including all general aviation and commercial aircraft, pilots and flight instructors, and repair stations both in this country and abroad. PASS also represents employees in the Manufacturing Inspection District Offices (MIDOs) within the Office of Aircraft Certification. These employees are involved in production approval and certification and airworthiness certification, which includes providing oversight of Boeing manufacturing.
As reported in the press, at the invitation of the Ethiopian government, FAA accident investigation officials have joined their counterparts in the National Transportation Safety Board at the crash site.
While otherwise not directly involved, the employees PASS represents in Flight Standards and the MIDOs will continue to do the job for which they are highly trained. As is often seen in the aftermath of a tragedy, there are multiple parts of the FAA that play direct and indirect roles in investigating an accident, as well as assessing future actions, and overseeing the roll out of those actions. This is why PASS strongly advocated that all aviation-safety employees needed to be working without distraction during the latest government shutdown. We have no doubt our members will continue to perform their duties at the highest level as more information is gathered and the FAA charts a path forward.
The United States has the largest, safest and most complex aviation system in the world. Aviation safety is the number one priority of the dedicated men and women PASS represents at the FAA and they will do what is necessary to safeguard it.