Federal Aviation Administration safety employees reported facing"strong" external pressure from industry and raised alarms the agency does not always prioritize air safety, according to an independent survey seen by Reuters on Friday.
The report found employees believe aviation safety leaders"painted 'too rosy of a picture'" after the 737 MAX crashes"and did not acknowledge the needed changes to FAA safety-related policies and processes." The survey, conducted in late 2019 and in focus groups in early 2020, said employees and managers reported"external pressure from industry is strong and is impacting" the safety culture."They shared that there is an unwritten code to be more 'liberal-minded' when assessing safety risks, and there is pressure to find win-win solutions that benefit industry," the survey found.
Agency employees said they can be"over-powered in meetings with industry," with one unnamed employee saying:"It feels like we are showing up to a knife fight with Nerf weapons. It is a challenge to be an equal match with Boeing in the meetings/conversations."