Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on November 6, 2025, that the Federal Aviation Administration would implement a 10% reduction in U.S. air traffic across 40 airports in the coming days due to severe air traffic controller shortages caused by the ongoing government shutdown. The …
Sean DuffyFederal Aviation AdministrationAir Traffic ControllersDepartment of Transportationfaaair-traffic-controlgovernment-shutdownaviation-safetyfederal-workers+1 more
The Federal Aviation Administration announced it would reduce air traffic by up to 10% at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports as the government shutdown—then in its 40th day—created a staffing crisis among air traffic controllers working without pay. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford reported …
Federal Aviation AdministrationBryan BedfordSean Duffygovernment-shutdownaviation-safetyessential-workersinfrastructure-crisisworker-exploitation
Trump signed an executive order directing the Transportation Department to slash FAA regulations on rocket launches, eliminating or expediting environmental reviews for commercial spaceflight. The order directly benefits SpaceX, whose owner Elon Musk repeatedly complained about FAA environmental …
Donald TrumpElon MuskSpaceXDepartment of TransportationFederal Aviation Administrationregulatory-captureconflicts-of-interesttech
Starlink has secured contracts and deployed internet infrastructure across multiple federal agencies, including the FAA, GSA, and Customs and Border Protection. The rapid adoption has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, particularly given Musk’s close ties to the Trump …
John Barnett, a 32-year Boeing quality control manager and prominent whistleblower who had raised numerous safety concerns about the 787 Dreamliner, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in his truck in a hotel parking lot in Charleston, South Carolina. He was in Charleston for deposition …
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The Boeing 737 MAX scandal represents the deadliest case of regulatory capture and corporate crime in modern aviation history. Between 2011 and 2024, Boeing’s decision to prioritize profit over safety killed 346 people, cost $2.5 billion in fines, and resulted in zero criminal prosecutions of …
BoeingFederal Aviation Administration346 crash victimsDennis MuilenburgDepartment of Justice+3 moreboeing737-maxregulatory-capturecorporate-crimeexecutive-impunity+2 more
A door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, at 16,000 feet during climb six minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. The explosive decompression ripped the door plug from the fuselage, leaving a gaping hole in the aircraft. Miraculously, all 171 passengers and 6 crew …
Alaska AirlinesBoeingSpirit AeroSystemsFederal Aviation AdministrationNational Transportation Safety Board+1 moreboeing737-maxalaska-airlinesdoor-plugmanufacturing-defect+2 more
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released its final 238-page report on the Boeing 737 MAX disasters, concluding that the crashes “were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing’s engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of …
House Transportation and Infrastructure CommitteeRepresentative Peter DeFazioRepresentative Rick LarsenFederal Aviation AdministrationBoeing+1 moreboeingfaaregulatory-capture737-maxcongressional-investigation+1 more
Boeing released hundreds of internal messages to Congressional investigators and the FAA on January 9, 2020, revealing that employees knew the 737 MAX was unsafe, mocked regulators, and conspired to deceive certification authorities. In one April 2017 exchange, just before the aircraft’s first …
Boeing employeesFederal Aviation AdministrationDepartment of JusticeHouse Transportation CommitteeSenator Richard Blumenthalboeing737-maxinternal-communicationsregulatory-capturefraud+1 more
The Federal Aviation Administration finally grounded the Boeing 737 MAX on March 13, 2019, three days after the Ethiopian Airlines crash and only after 51 other countries had already banned the aircraft. China acted first on March 11, followed by Indonesia, Singapore, India, the European Union, …
Federal Aviation AdministrationBoeingActing FAA Administrator Dan ElwellEuropean Union Aviation Safety AgencyCivil Aviation Administration of China+2 morefaaboeing737-maxregulatory-captureaviation-safety+1 more
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing all 157 people aboard from 35 countries. The crash was caused by the same MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) malfunction that downed Lion Air Flight 610 five …
Ethiopian AirlinesBoeingFederal Aviation AdministrationMCAS system157 victims from 35 countries+1 moreboeing737-maxmcasethiopian-airlinesaviation-safety+3 more
Dan Elwell becomes acting FAA Administrator on January 7, 2018, when Michael Huerta’s five-year term ends, exemplifying the revolving door between aviation regulators and the industry they oversee. Elwell, who had served as Deputy Administrator since June 2017, brought extensive aviation …
Dan ElwellFederal Aviation AdministrationMichael HuertaTransportation Secretary Elaine ChaoBoeing Corporation+7 moreregulatory-capturefaa-leadershipboeing-737-maxrevolving-dooraviation-regulation+1 more
Dan Elwell becomes acting FAA Administrator on January 7, 2018, when Michael Huerta’s five-year term ends, exemplifying the revolving door between aviation regulators and the industry they oversee. Elwell, who had served as Deputy Administrator since June 2017, brought extensive aviation …
Dan ElwellFederal Aviation AdministrationMichael HuertaTransportation Secretary Elaine ChaoBoeing Corporation+7 moreregulatory-capturefaa-leadershipboeing-737-maxrevolving-dooraviation-regulation+1 more
Boeing delivered its first 737 MAX 8 aircraft to Malaysian carrier Malindo Air on May 16, 2017, entering revenue service on May 22. The delivery occurred despite internal Boeing communications showing employees knew the aircraft had serious safety problems, including design flaws in the MCAS system …
BoeingMalindo AirSouthwest AirlinesFederal Aviation AdministrationBoeing test pilots+1 moreboeing737-maxmcasfirst-deliveryregulatory-fraud+1 more
Boeing obtained FAA approval to exclude the MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) from pilot manuals, flight crew operations manuals, and all pilot training materials for the 737 MAX. This deliberate concealment meant that pilots flying the aircraft had no knowledge that a powerful …
BoeingFederal Aviation AdministrationBoeing pilotsAirline pilotsFAA certification officialsboeingmcasfaapilot-trainingregulatory-fraud+1 more
Boeing accelerated 737 MAX development to a “frenetic” pace during 2015, attempting to deliver the aircraft in approximately four years instead of the decade typically required for new aircraft development. The rushed timeline came as Boeing fell nine months behind Airbus’s …
BoeingFederal Aviation AdministrationAirbusBoeing engineersFAA safety engineersboeing737-maxrushed-developmentairbus-competitionsafety-shortcuts+1 more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) formally establishes the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, delegating unprecedented safety certification responsibilities to aircraft manufacturers, specifically Boeing. This regulatory capture mechanism expanded the scope of …
Federal Aviation AdministrationBoeing CorporationAircraft manufacturersFAA certification officialsAviation industry lobbyists+2 moreregulatory-capturefaa-boeingself-certificationaviation-safetyinstitutional-capture+1 more
President Ronald Reagan fires 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who refused to return to work, permanently banning them from federal service. When 13,000 PATCO members went on strike August 3 seeking better pay, improved working conditions, and a reduced workweek, Reagan declared the strike a …
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