U.S. Office of Special Counsel  1730 M Street, N.W., Suite 218  Washington, D.C. 20036-4505

FAA WHISTLEBLOWERS RECEIVE SPECIAL COUNSEL’S PUBLIC SERVANT AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 12, 2008
CONTACT: James Mitchell, 202-254-3607, jmitchell@osc.gov

WASHINGTON, DC–Two Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) whistleblowers have received the U.S. Office Special Counsel (OSC) Public Servant Award for 2007. U.S. Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch presented the award June 11 to FAA whistleblowers Charalambe “Bobby” Boutris and Douglas E. Peters, who are FAA aviation safety inspectors in Irving, TX. Disclosures to OSC by Mr. Boutris and Mr. Peters revealed that an FAA official knowingly allowed Southwest Airlines to operate aircraft in unsafe or unairworthy condition.

Their disclosures resulted in a widespread investigation into FAA’s inspection practices nationwide and the regulatory compliance of other airlines, and in significant congressional hearings into aviation oversight. In addition, the investigation into the safety issues brought forth by these disclosures has resulted in significant, comprehensive inspection of aircraft causing the cancellation of over 1,000 flights and the grounding of hundreds of aircraft in order to bring them into compliance with FAA Airworthiness Directives.

Mr. Boutris and Mr. Peters provided a valuable public service to our nation, and especially to the flying public, when they came forward to make their disclosures, said Special Counsel Bloch. “The entire nation now knows that the FAA and the airlines are doing a better job to provide safe air travel by inspecting the airplanes that fly millions of people and checking to make sure the dangerous conditions that caused prior air disasters do not recur.”

Mr. Boutris and Mr. Peters are the seventh and eighth federal employees to receive the OSC Public Servant Award since the program was established in 2001. The Public Servant Award is a non-monetary and merit-based award to publicly recognize the most significant contributions made by federal whistleblowers who have either filed disclosures with OSC or who have sought relief from OSC on the grounds that they have suffered retaliation.

 

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent investigative and prosecutorial agency and operates as a secure channel for disclosures of whistleblower complaints. Its primary mission is to safeguard the merit system in federal employment by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, especially retaliation for whistleblowing. OSC also has jurisdiction over the Hatch Act. For more information please visit our web site at www.osc.gov or call 1 (800) 872-9855.
 

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