The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Federal Aviation Administration" ...
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Flying Cheap
The February 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407 revealed "a little-known trend in the airline industry: major airlines have outsourced more and more of their flights to obscure regional carriers." These smaller carriers operate with different safety practices with pilots that are often paid less, with less training and fewer flight hours.
Tags: airlines; aviation safety; Federal Aviation Administration; flight safety; transportation
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"Safety for Sale"
The Federal Aviation Administration is under fire after WFAA-TV reveals that thousands of aircraft mechanics licensed by the FAA, had "questionable" training. The poor training and slow reaction by the FAA could be connected to two deadly airplane crashes. The series also revealed that repair facilities hired foreign mechanics through "immigration loopholes" who were unqualified and often could not speak English.
Tags: FAA; Federal Aviation Administration; diploma mills; U.S. aircraft mechanics; mechanic training; foreign mechanics;
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Under the Radar
Every year the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been given a grant, which then will be distributed to airports. The question is where does this money come from and how is it spent? The answer to the first half is the commercial-airline passengers, who pay the ticket taxes which in turn becomes the grant. The second part of the question is answered by not the improvement of airline travel, but rather the private pilots who fly corporate and recreational planes.
Tags: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Federal fund; grants; airports; planes; airlines; commercial-airline; passengers; ticket taxes; pilots; private airplanes; flights
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Fatal Flights
The nation's medevac programs are dominated by private companies with stiff competition and widespread safety failings. The high rate of accidents in the medical helicopter field is due to entrenched complacency. The Post uproots the severe lack of safety in a field the public typically views as heroic.
Tags: medevac; helicopter; hospitals; safety; Washington Post; patient; rescue; Federal Aviation Administration; National Transportation Safety Board; deaths; crash; medical; flight; crew;
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The Stimulus Debate
This series examined the effectiveness of the nearly $800 billion federal stimulus package. Reporters explored several issues related to the package, such as whether the money was going to contractors with problems in their past and whether money was going to places allowed under the legislation.
Tags: stimulus; economy; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; Recovery.gov; Department of Transportation; Federal Aviation Administration;
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Bird strike rates at U.S. Airports
Airplanes landing and taking off at airports in Sacramento, Kansas City, and Denver have been the most liekly in the nation to hit birds , according to an NPR analysis of new data from the Federal Aviation Administration. Wildlife researchers believe they can alert birds to oncoming planes if they can come up with an appropriate visual signal, such as pulsating LED lights currently being tested.
Tags: aviation; bird strike; FAA; Federal Aviation Administration; aviation safety; wildlife; wildlife strikes;
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9/11 Redux: Thousands of Aliens' in U.S. Flight School Illegally
This investigation exposed the fact that thousands of foreign national were still obtaining U.S. pilot training and U.S pilot licenses illegally without the required security background checks implemented after the 9-11 terrorists attacks. The story exposed serious flaws in the TSA and FAA system of insuring pilots had successfully done in obtaining piloting skills in the USA prior to the September 11 attacks of 2001.
Tags: September 11, 2001; terrorism; flight schools; Department of Homeland Security; DHS; Transportation Security Administration; TSA; Federal Aviation Administration; FAA; pilot licenses
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The War on Whistle-blowers
The American whistleblower courts was set up to protect whistleblowers from retaliation has instead been used to punish them. An examination of 3,600 court cases since 1994 showed that 97 percent of federal whistleblowers lost their cases
Tags: Teresa Chambers; Salon; salon.com; Bogdan Dzakovic; Federal Aviation Administration;
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The Life and Business of Aaron Feldman
The stories explored the “fascinating and complex life of Aaron Feldman, businessman and Mexican immigrant who had been thrust into the public eye after his company, Sunroad Enterprises, had been allowed by the city of San Diego to build a 12-story office toward that was 20 feet taller than the Federal Aviation Administration allowed.†They revealed a “powerful, but intensely private man,†and offered “exclusive details of his ups and downs in the business world and his aggressive, hard-nosed reputation.â€
Tags: Aaron Feldman; Sunroad Enterprises; president; business profile; Federal Aviation Administration;
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Tow Truck Pirates
The investigation looked into the rampant practice of illegally towing cars from private parking lots in LA and the laws that have allowed them to continue.
Tags: towing; L.A.; Los Angeles; Federal Aviation Administration Act; Interstate Commerce Commission; Chris Cox; Jim Moran; Dianne Feinstein