INSPECTOR CRITICAL OF FAA RESIGNS.Byline: Richard Keil Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Mary Schiavo Mary Fackler Schiavo, JD, is the outspoken former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), where for six years she withstood pressure from within DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as she sought to expose and correct problems at the , the outspoken Transportation Department inspector general who bluntly criticized the Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control after the ValuJet crash, resigned Monday, officials said. Schiavo has been a media mainstay in recent months, harshly criticizing the FAA and publicly questioning the operations of ValuJet and other airlines. On the other hand, her own comments have drawn fire from members of Congress who have suggested that she should have passed her concerns on to them before airing them. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. her office, Schiavo's resignation was effective immediately. She had left the office, and was unavailable for comment, aides said. ``She wants to speak and write, and probably work as an attorney again,'' said Mary Helen Rice, a staff assistant. Her departure followed announcements that two top FAA officials would resign, but apparently was unrelated. They resigned under pressure for reform at the agency; Business Week reported in its current issue that Schiavo would leave her $115,700 per-year job if she could secure a lucrative book advance. Since ValuJet Flight 592 crashed into the Everglades on May 11, Schiavo has appeared on ABC-TV's ``Nightline'' and other news programs and has also testified before congressional panels looking into airline safety and the FAA's performance. Schiavo, 40, was appointed to her job in 1990 by President George Bush. As a former assistant United States attorney United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. , she brought a prosecutor's investigative background to the job and, as a licensed pilot, aeronautic aer·o·nau·tic also aer·o·nau·ti·cal adj. Of or relating to aeronautics. aer  o·nau expertise as well.
Late last month, she told a House panel that she had complained regularly to the FAA about what she considered its lax inspection practices and the problems they created in effectively monitoring rapidly growing airlines such as ValuJet. ``Unfortunately most accidents are preventable. Planes don't fall out of the sky unless something is wrong,'' Schiavo told the House Transportation panel. But she also acknowledged that she had not written the FAA about her concerns - a fact that brought criticism from lawmakers. ``If you make a comment like that, those words have consequences,'' said Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., the ranking minority member of the House Aviation subcommittee sub·com·mit·tee n. A subordinate committee composed of members appointed from a main committee. subcommittee Noun . ``People take note of someone saying something like that, and you have to substantiate To establish the existence or truth of a particular fact through the use of competent evidence; to verify. For example, an Eyewitness might be called by a party to a lawsuit to substantiate that party's testimony. those remarks. She didn't.'' Under federal law, inspectors general are required to pass on to Congress within seven days any problems requiring immediate attention. But Congress has received no ``seven-day letter'' from Schiavo. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Transportation Department Inspector GeneralMary Schiavo, testifying at a House hearing on ValuJet Airlines This article or section has multiple issues: * It needs additional references or sources for verification. Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page. , was criticized for her remarks about the FAA. Associated Press |
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