Federal aviation regulators have discovered 17 new cases of airlines failing to comply with critical safety mandates. This came from a review prompted by revelations this year of widespread maintenance violations. The Federal Aviation Administration is now reviewing whether to take enforcement action in the cases, which involve 11 unnamed carriers. According to the FAA, the violations did not create a risk to airline passengers. The agency has conducted 5,618 audits of compliance at large and small airlines across the country and says it found 2% of cases involved violations.

The FAA airline reviews were begun in the spring after whistle-blowers revealed that FAA managers had allowed Southwest Airlines to fly 46 jets for months in violation of federal law. The FAA had mandated that the Boeing 737s be inspected for cracks in the skin that had previously caused accidents, but the inspections were not done even after the airline had discovered the problem and reported it to the FAA.

FAA officials released results from a second phase of audits in a news conference. However, officials did not release specifics about the 17 violations, saying the cases were under review for possible enforcement actions. Jim Ballough, who heads the FAA flight standards division, said the violations included cases in which wiring was not properly covered to protect against short circuits. The audit was an attempt to determine how well airlines had complied with so-called Airworthiness Directives. These mandatory maintenance actions are issued after accidents or incidents reveal critical problems with wiring or mechanical systems on aircraft.

Source: USA Today

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