8217;s inspection tracking systems do not distinguish major from minor violations. For all of these reasons, FAA’s information on compliance in the aviation industry is incomplete. Incomplete information compromises the accuracy of key databases available to FAA for identifying trends in violations and for targeting its resources to the greatest potential threats to aviation safety and security. In addition, FAA cannot readily use the results of its inspections as an early warning system.-The two reasons most frequently cited by inspectors for not opening enforcement cases stemmed from changes in FAA’s enforcement philosophy. Nine out of 10 Flight Standards inspectors (89%) and Security inspectors (86%) cited the belief that compliance is more important in the long run than enforcement. Similarly, 9 out of 10 believe gaining immediate compliance is more important than taking enforcement action.-...
