Some FAA inspectors didn't finish required training courses

The FAA says more than a dozen safety inspectors at two key field offices did not complete a required formal training course, but that inspectors who reviewed the Boeing 737 Max jet were fully certified. Separately on Friday, a group of aviation experts from nine countries finished their first meeting to review the FAA's approval of the Max, which has been grounded since mid-March after two crashes killed 346 people. The review of FAA's work is expected to last several months, but it is separate from decisions by regulators in the US and overseas on whether to let airlines resume flights with the Max. In a letter and other documents made public Friday, FAA acting administrator Daniel Elwell repeated that those inspectors were fully certified. However, Ellwell said, 16 of 22 other safety inspectors in Seattle and Long Beach, California, have not completed a formal training course required for their jobs, and 11 aren't qualified for the course because they aren't certified flight instructors. Elwell said the inspectors had on-the-job training, which was also acceptable to perform some duties. He said the FAA is addressing the "confusion" and will revise its inspector-training requirements by September. FAA had previously disclosed that a manager who retaliated against an employee who raised the training issues no longer works for the agency.<br/>