JUNE 22, 2018
“On March 9, 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established requirements for all part 121 air carriers to implement a formal, top-down approach to managing safety risks, known as safety management systems. However, recent events have raised concerns about FAA’s safety oversight, particularly for Southwest Airlines, one of the largest part 121 carriers in the United States. Accordingly, we are initiating a review of FAA’s safety oversight of Southwest Airlines. Specifically, our objective is to assess FAA’s oversight of Southwest Airlines’ systems for managing risk.” FAA said in a statement
On April 17, 2018, Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 suffered an engine failure and debris penetrated the aircraft cabin, resulting in the first U.S. passenger fatality in over 9 years. 2 Preliminary reports indicate similarities with a previous engine incident that occurred on another Southwest Airlines aircraft during a 2016 flight, but “it is unclear what actions the carrier took to manage the risk to prevent a future failure.”
“In addition, we recently received a hotline complaint regarding a number of operational issues at Southwest Airlines, such as alleged pilot training deficiencies, which raise concerns about FAA’s oversight of the carrier. Specifically, we are concerned whether FAA’s oversight includes an assessment of the carrier’s ability to identify hazards and analyze and mitigate risks.” the statement added.
The FAA has informed the Southwest airline that it has planned to audit the airline later this month.
http://newsinflight.com/2018/06/22/faa-has-initiated-an-audit-on-southwest-airlines-after-receiving-hotline-complaint/