Trump directive stalls FAA safety warnings

The Trump executive order barring new regulations is directly threatening aviation safety in the US. The FAA is now barred from issuing any new ADs, or Airworthiness Directives.ADs are mandatory regulatory directives requiring aircraft operators to address serious safety concerns.

money.cnn.com...

Let me give an example. Let's say that the manufacturer of Boeing 777 wing attach bolts discovers that the alloy sent to them to make the bolts lacks the necessary tensile and shear strength, making them inherently faulty and dangerous to use. Until now, the FAA would immediately ground the fleet, mandating the replacement of all faulty bolts. By the way, the wings on almost all aircraft are held on by 4 metal bolts through the front and rear wing spars on each side. Now, the FAA is prohibited from issuing the ADs, and everyone gets to stand around watching the wings fall off of wide-body airliners, resulting in big black smoking holes in the ground. Of course, Trump will blame everything on 3 million illegal aliens who made the alloy.

IMO, this is the perfect example of the law of unintended consequences. Barring new regulations sounds good to the simple-minded, until that simple-minded person and his family die from being trapped in a wingless, plunging, transsonic lawn dart.

If you're interested in what it looks like when a wing falls off, take a look at www.youtube.com...

President Donald Trump's executive directive to restrict or postpone new government regulations for 60 days has hampered the ability of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue safety orders about aircraft.

Sounds like more FAKE NEWS from CNN.

So ALL of the existing regulations just suddenly disappeared.

Here it is from Fox, for those who only believe they are honest.

fox6now.com...

The White House move on regulation has not only held up pending directives, it has also withdrawn any Obama administration directives that were finalized, but published after the inauguration. Four days after President Trump was sworn in, the FAA withdrew two final directives that had been issued in the weeks before President Trump took office.

Airlines may still be made aware of issues through other channels.

originally posted by: neo96

President Donald Trump's executive directive to restrict or postpone new government regulations for 60 days has hampered the ability of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue safety orders about aircraft.

Sounds like more FAKE NEWS from CNN.

So ALL of the existing regulations just suddenly disappeared.

No all existing ADs are still in effect and must be complied with. But if a new critical danger arises, no new AD can be promulgated. People, and a lot of people, can die. Scattered burned body parts won't be fake news. It will be a tragic, smelly, nightmare-inducing fact.

2016 was a fairly usy year for ADs. For example One was issued to prevent Sukhoi Superjet tails from falling off. Another was issued requiring repeated inspections of Boeing 717 flap systems to keep the flaps from ripping off due to fatigue cracking. Another resulted from cracks being found in Piper PA-28 aircraft. Finally, an emergency AD was issued grounding all Airbus ECC332 and EC-225 aircraft

If this fear mongering scares you...Don't Fly!

The aircraft manufacturer will then issue a mandatory service bulletin, which is also mandatory in a 135 121 setting, until the AD is written.

a reply to: 38181

The problem with a Service Bulletin is that in the rare cases where it was a serious problem, such as when the 787 was grounded, the manufacturer can't order them grounded. They can recommend it, but can't mandate it.

originally posted by: roadgravel
Here it is from Fox, for those who only believe they are honest.

fox6now.com...

The White House move on regulation has not only held up pending directives, it has also withdrawn any Obama administration directives that were finalized, but published after the inauguration. Four days after President Trump was sworn in, the FAA withdrew two final directives that had been issued in the weeks before President Trump took office.

Airlines may still be made aware of issues through other channels.

It's usually the airline, or other operator that first learns of the issue or defect. Regulations force them to notify the FAA, which the decides on the appropriateness and timing of the remedial action. But remember the profit motive inherent in the airline business. Do you really want the same beancounter who decided that a $850.00 airline ticket doesn't entitle you to a free bag of peanuts to decide whether a crack found in the wing center section requires grounding of the fleet until cosly repairs are made? They are the same people who ignored reports of pitot-static icing until Air France 447 sent 228 people into the ocean. These are the same people who fought the "tail-falling-off" AD on the 717 because "only" 110 aircraft were affected by the cracks. I fly transport category aircraft and my butt is the first one to hit the ground if a wing or tail falls off. To be blunt, I really don't have a lot of trust in the good intentions of the operators. I'm not in love with the FAA either, but the regs keep everybody honest, or at least, more honest. Responding to Service Difficulty reports or Service Bulletins from manufacturersare not always mandatory. Compliance with ADs is mandatory and must be documented.
If you really want to fly in a regulation free aircraft, book your tickets on Iran Aseman Airlines, Iraqi airlines, Blue Wing Airlines from Surinam, Air Koryo (North Korea), or Airjet (Agola), all of which are banned in the EU. In fact, I'm posting this from the crew lounge, such as it is, at Luanda's Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport . I see third world airline operations firsthand. That's where we're headed.

a reply to: F4guy

Isn't the point of the system that the FAA is the only one who can make the changes happen.

originally posted by: 38181
The aircraft manufacturer will then issue a mandatory service bulletin, which is also mandatory in a 135 121 setting, until the AD is written.

But remember, it is in the maufacturer's financial interest to minimize the cost of remedial action, not necessarily to maximize efficacy. And SBs are not mandatory in 91 operations.

originally posted by: roadgravel
a reply to: F4guy

Is the point of the system that the FAA is the only one who can make the changes happen.

If you are talking about making changes happen, yes. The manufacturers and operators can recommend it, and the flight crews can urge it, but only the FAA has the big stick to make it happen. Remember, Southwest Airlines was fined for improper repairs. SeaPort Airlines was fined for violating regs regarding inspections. Southwest was fined 7.5 million dollars for skipping fuselage crack inspections 60,000 times. That related to the Hawaiian Airlines 737 that had the top of the cabin rip off in flight, killing a flight attendant. The list goes on. The 747-400 I'm getting ready to take off has 5 currently applicable ADs, 4 relating to airframe and engine problems, and one relating to uncommanded autopilot operation and stabilizer deflection during takeoff. Not a good thing to have happen in a 360 ton aircraft screming down a runway at 155 knots (177 mph). One autopilot malfunction, before the AD, injured 42 people, some seriously (National Airlines Flight 41.)