The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) is auditing the FAA’s “consistency of interpretation and application of policy regarding supplemental type certificates (STCs)” as required by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The act specifies audits of STCs, repair stations, and technical standard orders, and the STC audit will be the first.
Companies that develop STCs and seek FAA approval have been complaining that their projects are suffering significant delays due to a lack of FAA resources and consistent application of the regulations. Many also believe that there is reluctance on the part of FAA personnel to approve complex STCs because of problems identified as part of the two Boeing 737 Max crashes and the resulting deficiencies in FAA oversight of Boeing certification processes. Critics allege that inconsistency in STC approval decisions is also a problem with the process.
According to the DOT watchdog, the first audit’s objectives are “to determine whether (1) FAA has sufficient controls in place to provide reasonable assurance that inspectors are consistent in determining what aircraft alterations require an STC, and (2) FAA inspectors process STC applications consistently across FAA offices and geographic regions.” OIG inspectors will conduct the audit at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., and FAA regional offices responsible for STC approvals.