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Federal Aviation Administration
Related Resources (government documents and letters)
POGO Files
Podcast: Crash Course? On April 1, a five-foot piece of the fuselage of a Southwest Airlines
737 Classic airplane ripped off in mid-flight, forcing the plane to an
emergency landing in Arizona. Despite the date of the incident, this was
no joke. In late April, the nation’s crash detectives, the National
Transportation Safety Board, said they found evidence of manufacturing
defects. Experts told The New York Times that the board’s
findings suggest the 737’s "aluminum skin had not been properly bound
together, leading to premature damage from fatigue." This week's podcast is a phone conversation between POGO staffers and
a former Boeing employee and her attorney, who claim that Boeing bent
the rules and allowed very similar manufacturing defects on a newer
version of the 737, the 737 Next Generation. In 2005, they filed a
lawsuit in federal court alleging that Boeing defrauded the military by
supplying defective planes. They claim that Boeing has also put the
flying public at risk.
May 9, 2011
Whistleblower Office Vindicates FAA Whistleblower, But Questions Remain On Hundreds Of Improperly Closed Cases
September 29, 2010
POGO Letter to Vought Aircraft Inc., regarding product substitution
October 22, 2008
In May 2008, The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) released a 2006 Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) memorandum which revealed that from 1997 to 2005, Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc., along with other aircraft manufacturers, was supplied with bogus materials by a composite materials supplier, Airtech International, Inc.
POGO Letter to the Boeing Company regarding Airtech International Inc.'s product substitution
July 22, 2008
Oberstar Pushes Stronger FAA Whistleblower Office
July 17, 2008
Internal Boeing Documents Support Whistleblower's Allegations: Aircraft Quality Control Problems Cited
May 8, 2008
Letter from POGO to congressional transportation committees on FAA and manufacturer oversight of suppliers
March 12, 2008
Leaked Audit: Manufacturers and FAA Allowing Defective Parts on Planes Insufficient Oversight of Foreign and Domestic Outsourcing
February 29, 2008
Tripwired? Document Trail of Faulty Airplane Wiring Demonstrates Need For Comprehensive Review POGO's investigation found that the military has been aware of serious wiring problems on its aircraft since at least the early 1980s, but failed to notify regulators. Furthermore, POGO discovered that wiring experts who tried to blow the whistle on flammable wiring problems were silenced and retaliated against over many years. The miltary's actions left millions of commercial air travelers vulnerable to this deadly problem.
May 11, 1998
Related Resources
Assessment Of FAA’s Risk-Bases System For Overseeing Aircraft Manufacturer's Suppliers
, Federal Aviation Administration, Report Number: AV-2008-026
February 26, 2008
POGO in the News
Defense Contractor Airtech, a Big Rohrabacher Contributor, Is Under Investigation for Fraud, By Nick Schou, OC Weekly, October 22, 2008
U.S. probe accuses aircraft parts supplier of fraud, By JoAnne Allen, Reuters, May 22, 2008
Reports: Army investigates Calif. supplier of aircraft parts, , The Associated Press, May 22, 2008
Major Aircraft Manufacturer Accused Of Fraud, , CBS News, May 22, 2008
Case implicates free speech, Op-Ed by POGO's Nick Schwellenbach, SPI Seattle.com, May 7, 2008
Bills would slow revolving door between FAA, airlines, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, April 15, 2008
FAA Inspections and a Role for Government, by Matt Madia, Reg Watch, April 3, 2008
Substandard Parts on Jetliners Due to Insufficient Oversight, , Air Safety Week, March 10, 2008
FAA oversight of airplane parts criticized, By Rebecca Carr, Austin American-Statesman, March 5, 2008
Caution: Tax Increase Ahead, Regardless Of Political Rhetoric, By Stan Collender, Roll Call, March 4, 2008
FAA Oversight Of Foreign-Sourced Aircraft Parts Under Scrutiny, , Aero News, March 3, 2008
FAA Criticized In Report on Airplane Parts, By Frank Ahrens, Washington Post, March 1, 2008
Transcripts Lou Dobbs Tonight, With Bill Tucker, CNN, February 29, 2008
Audit Finds Lax Aircraft Parts Oversight , By Dan Cateriniccia, The Associated Press, February 29, 2008
DOT Audit Finds 'Widespread' Problems With Aircraft Suppliers, By Martin Vaughan, Dow Jones Newswires, February 29, 2008
