FAA and Regs

A San Antonio woman who was duct taped to a seat after a series of incidents aboard an American Airlines flight in 2021 has earned the highest ever FAA sanction for unruly behavior. Heather Wells, 34, is being sued by the agency for a total of $81,950 after an eventful flight from Dallas to Charlotte […]

The FAA says it will soon issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will address safety issues in so-called public charter carriers that operate scheduled services under Part 135 rules. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement that could ultimately result in a separate category for these types of carriers, commonly referred to as […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier of fuselages for Boeing and wings for Airbus, are investigating counterfeit titanium found in recently manufactured jets. According to The New York Times, who first reported the news, falsified documents were used to verify the material’s authenticity—prompting concerns about the structural integrity of the airliners. […]

Neither man aboard a Taylorcraft BC-12D that crashed in Six Mile Lake in southern Alaska May 17 had a pilot certificate, and authorities have found no evidence that they ever did according to the NTSB’s preliminary report. The aircraft took off from Port Alsworth Airport headed to Nondalton Airport, 24 miles away, with David Hedgers, […]

On Thursday, during a three-hour meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing officials formally presented a detailed plan to resolve the quality and safety problems plaguing the manufacturer. Following the door blowout incident on Jan. 5, the FAA intensified its oversight of Boeing, giving the company 90 days to submit a corrective action plan […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a new Airworthiness Directive (AD) for specific Piper aircraft models after an unscheduled inspection, prompted by a ground collision with an automobile, revealed a double-drilled bolt hole in the rear wing spar attachment fitting. The FAA says the AD will affect some 500 U.S.-registered aircraft—including certain serial-numbered Piper models […]

The FAA says it has not lifted any operational restrictions on United Airlines, contradicting a memo from senior officials at the airline that the regulator is allowing it to “begin the process of restarting our certification activities.” The FAA froze airline operations in March, keeping it from adding any aircraft or routes until a safety […]

President Joe Biden signed the long-awaited bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act into law on Thursday May 16—funding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for another five years. After months of several short-term extensions, the $105 billion dollar legislation passed the House on Wednesday and the Senate last week before being sent to the president’s desk for final […]

On Thursday, the U.S. Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said it will conduct an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) oversight of United Airlines maintenance procedures. In a statement, the watchdog agency cited “recent safety events” at United as reason for the audit, noting its objective is to assess the FAA’s measures […]

The U.S. Senate passed a five-year extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday evening, just one day ahead of its expiration date.   The $105 billion bipartisan bill dubbed “The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act” was overwhelmingly approved in a vote of 88-4. Following its passage, the Senate also […]