The Federal Aviation Administration agreed to pay $90,000 to a whistleblower who faced retaliation after raising safety concerns within the agency.
The US Office of Special Counsel backed up the whistleblower’s allegations that agency flight inspectors were certifying pilots that didn’t have the required training.
The whistleblower’s allegations ‘were substantiated’ by the FAA’s Office of Audit & Evaluation.
At the time the OSC said: "FAA’s failure to ensure safety inspector competency for these aircraft puts the flying public at risk."
The FAA acknowledged there was retaliation.
"The whistleblower decided to take a new position in another city in order to escape what he believed was pervasive harassment," the OSC said.
"His managers allegedly removed his duties and denied training requests, flight certifications, and job training opportunities."
The FAA said it ‘takes all whistleblower allegations seriously and does not tolerate retaliation.’
