In Wake of ValuJet Crash, More Turbulence

EXECUTIVE MEMO

In Wake of VALUJET Crash, More Turbulence

hen Transportation Department Inspector General Mary F. Schiavo aired her fears about flying this spring, she broke an IG tradition of shunning publicity. Schiavo's outspokenness won her a share of the spotlight focused on the May 11 crash of a ValuJet DC-9 in Florida.

"I don't like to fly," Schiavo wrote in the May 20 issue of Newsweek. "I have skipped conferences because I would not fly on marginal airlines (and because of its many mishaps, I also avoided flying on ValuJet)." She also talked on television about air safety.

Schiavo stepped outside the usual IG reporting chain, which customarily includes agency heads and Congress, but rarely the press or public. In addition, her comments came at the same time Transportation Secretary Federico Pena was attempting to calm the public by saying he felt safe flying ValuJet. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, accused Schiavo of "destroying confidence" in air safety and mounted a review of her audits and reports to see whether they support her charges.

But The Washington Post editorialized on May 23 that Schiavo's candor "deserves a serious response." And evidence of safety problems at ValuJet has surfaced, even within the Federal Aviation Administration, that raises questions about the agency's response. For example, a May 2 FAA analysis of low-cost airline safety says, "ValuJet dominates the accident data with five accidents and three serious accidents in the carrier's short history." And Schiavo isn't alone in probing FAA's performance. In April, the General Accounting Office raised serious questions about the agency's safety inspection program.