CNN STORY HIGHLIGHTS AVIATION SAFETY THREATS: MAINTENANCE OUTSOURCING, INSPECTOR SHORTAGE

Details: Published: July 18, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC—The issue of airline outsourcing of maintenance was the subject of CNN Sunday Night on Sunday, February 20. A transcript of the story is available here.

PASS Region IV Vice President Linda Goodrich was interviewed for the segment and stressed the shortage of inspectors as the most pressing issue relating to aircraft repair and maintenance. “The number of inspectors we now have simply cannot handle the workload,” said Goodrich. “Simply put, the FAA must hire more inspectors to make sure repairs and maintenance are being done properly. You can't just keep cutting away at the safety margin and expect nothing to happen.”

PASS National President Tom Brantley agreed. “The CNN story highlights some very serious threats to the safety of our aviation system,” said Brantley. “A shortage of FAA inspectors is the most pressing concern, one that is only being made worse by the fact that 250 safety personnel will leave the agency this year through attrition and the FAA does not intend to backfill those positions. We should not gamble with aviation safety.” To view the CNN story please click on the link http://www.passnational.org/video/video01.wmv.

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PASS represents more than 11,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense who install, maintain, support and certify air traffic control and national defense equipment, inspect and oversee the commercial and general aviation industries, develop flight procedures and perform quality analyses of the aviation systems. For more information, visit the PASS website at www.passnational.org.