Southwest Airlines near-miss incidents: FAA gets involved
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was placing Southwest Airlines under a heightened safety review after a string of recent near-miss safety incidents involving the low-cost carrier.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was placing Southwest Airlines under a heightened safety review after a string of recent near-miss safety incidents involving the low-cost carrier.
In a statement, the agency said it was increasing oversight of Southwest "to ensure it is complying with federal safety regulations."
“Safety will drive the timeline,” the agency said.
The development comes amid ongoing jitters about the state of U.S. aviation first sparked in January, when a door panel on a Boeing-manufactured aircraft blew out midair. That incident prompted the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation of Boeing, and led to the ouster of its leadership. A planned rollout of Boeing's latest-generation 737 Max line was also suspended.
Since then, United Airlines announced in March an independent review of its safety measures following its own near-miss incidents. In May, the U.S. Transportation Department Office of Inspector General said it would audit the FAA's oversight of United Airlines maintenance practices — the fifth-such OIG report following ones scrutinizing the FAA's oversight of Allegiant, American, SkyWest and Southwest airlines' maintenance practices.
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