Office of Inspector General Report on FAA Oversight of Allegiant Air Maintenance Control

Last month the Office of the Inspector General’s Office released a report delving into incidents at the air carrier Allegiant Air—including a series of in-flight engine shutdowns, aborted takeoffs and unscheduled landings which raised concerns about its maintenance practices. The report is called, “FAA Needs To Improve Its Oversight To Address Maintenance Issues Impacting Safety at Allegiant Air” and the its objective was to assess FAA’s processes for investigating improper maintenance practices at Allegiant Air. Specifically, the report looked at FAA’s oversight of longstanding maintenance issues impacting safety at Allegiant Air and the process for ensuring Allegiant Air implemented effective corrective actions to address the root causes of maintenance problems. Aviation Maintenance Magazine spoke with safety expert Jeff Guzzetti, who has worked at NTSB, FAA and the Office of the Inspector General’s office to get his take on the report and what it means for FAA and Allegiant.