DOT OIG Faults FAA Oversight of United Airlines Maintenance Practices

A new report from a federal watchdog has identified significant deficiencies in the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of United Airlines' maintenance programs. The audit, conducted by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG), concludes that persistent staffing shortages and inadequate inspection practices have hindered the agency's ability to ensure the airline's compliance with federal safety regulations. United Airlines carries over 160 million passengers annually, amplifying the importance of robust regulatory supervision.

The core of the DOT OIG's findings points to the FAA's inability to conduct its required surveillance due to a lack of resources and procedural failures. This raises critical questions about the effectiveness of the FAA's Certificate Management Office (CMO) responsible for United, and whether its current model can adequately oversee a carrier of its scale. The report highlights a systemic issue where deferred maintenance tasks and overall airline airworthiness programs may not be receiving the necessary level of scrutiny.

Critical Staffing Shortages

The DOT OIG audit revealed a severe staffing crisis within the FAA office tasked with overseeing United. According to the official report (AV2026014), as of July 2025, 33% of the inspector positions at the United Airlines CMO were vacant, accounting for 37 unfilled roles. This shortage directly impacts the agency's ability to perform its duties.

The report provides a stark example of the inspector-to-aircraft ratio disparity. The FAA has only four inspectors assigned to oversee United's entire fleet of approximately 521 Boeing 737 aircraft. For comparison, the agency has three inspectors assigned to the airline's much smaller Boeing 767 fleet, which consists of only 53 aircraft. This discrepancy suggests an imbalanced allocation of resources relative to the size and complexity of different fleet types within the airline's operations.

Incomplete and Virtual Inspections

Staffing issues have led to a significant number of incomplete inspections. The DOT OIG found that the FAA's United CMO failed to complete 36% (8 of 22) of its required inspections at essential maintenance providers in fiscal year 2023. This problem worsened significantly in fiscal year 2024, when the office was unable to complete 59% (13 of 22) of these mandated checks.

To cope with resource constraints, the CMO increasingly relied on virtual inspections, a practice the OIG criticized as ineffective. In 2024, approximately 40% of inspections intended to be conducted on-site were performed virtually. An analysis of 33 of these virtual inspection reports found that nearly half had 50% or more of the questions marked as 'not observable,' meaning inspectors could not visually verify compliance. This practice deviates from FAA policy, which requires inspections to be postponed if on-site access is not possible, not replaced with a virtual alternative.

Systemic Oversight Challenges

The audit also uncovered deeper problems related to data access and program oversight. FAA inspectors reported being inadequately trained on how to access and analyze data from United's Safety Management System (SMS). An SMS is a formal, top-down approach to managing safety risk that is required for all major airlines. The inability of inspectors to effectively use this data hinders their ability to identify the root causes of maintenance problems and assess safety trends proactively.

This affects the oversight of United's Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP), a structured plan mandated under 14 CFR Part 121 to ensure aircraft are safe to fly. It also impacts the management of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL), an FAA-approved list that allows aircraft to operate for a specified period with certain inoperative equipment, a key area for deferred maintenance tracking.

In a letter responding to the report, the FAA stated it will "implement a more systemic approach to strengthen inspector capacity and will take other measures to ensure that staffing levels remain sufficient to meet surveillance requirements." For its part, United Airlines said in a statement that it "has long advocated in favor of providing the FAA with the resources it needs for its important work."

Why This Matters

This report underscores a critical vulnerability in the U.S. aviation safety framework: the regulator's capacity to perform its fundamental oversight duties is under strain. For an airline the size of United, consistent and thorough FAA surveillance is non-negotiable for public safety. The findings suggest a potential shift from proactive safety assurance to a more reactive posture, a trend that could have broad implications for the entire airline industry if not addressed.

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