To: lomapaseo
Based on my dealings with the FAA, it is analogous to hitting a mule between the ears with a 2 X 4 to get his attention, and then, you don’t know if he will do what you want, and, this goes not only for the mule but for the other certification authorities as well.
Here is an example. I was a senior RMS engineer on a major European aircraft program. I uncovered several faults in the design that could potentially lead to loss of the aircraft. I brought the problem to the attention of my boss, the VP of the company as well as the senior program manager. They refused to deal with the problem because it might have cost them money. I took the problem to the integration contractor and got the same answer. I then took the problem to the system designer in the UK and was told that they were sympathetic with my problem but they could not do anything about it. After I left the program I sent a letter to the FAA telling them of the design deficiencies and it took several months to get a response telling me that they would look into it. Several months later I got a second letter telling me that they (the FAA) had contacted the DGCA in France. The DGCA told the FAA that the design had been changed. I checked with a former colleague and he told me the design had not been changed. With that I sent a very strongly worded letter to the FAA and when they finally took action the Vice-President and chief Program manager were fired. However the design was never changed.
The contract required that the prime contractor be advised immediately of a design defect that effected Safety, Reliability and Maintainability. My firm, the integration contractor and the systems designer never informed the prime contractor of the problem. It is also obvious that if the design was never changed, the prime contractor never ran the necessary tests that would have uncovered one of the faults.
As I said previously, so much for safety.
