WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration agreed to pay $90,000 to an aviation safety inspector who faced retaliation for raising concerns about unqualified flight safety inspectors, a U.S. agency said Monday.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said the whistleblower aviation employee disclosed flight inspectors were certifying pilots and conducting safety “check rides” even though they lacked necessary formal training and certifications.
OSC said the FAA “substantiated the whistleblower’s allegations, calling into question the operational review of several aircraft, including the Boeing 737 MAX and the Gulfstream VII.”
The FAA and Boeing did not immediately comment.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul)
