NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Credentials of Pilot Inspectors Criticized

A study by the General Accounting Office found that two-thirds of the federal inspectors who check airline pilots’ ability to fly safely were not qualified to fly the planes themselves. The congressional report said only 291 of 786 of the Federal Aviation Administration inspectors who made pilot flight checks had up-to-date flying credentials. Federal rules require both pilots and flight inspectors to undergo semiannual flight training. The GAO report requested by the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation also said FAA inspectors who check airliners for airworthiness took only about one-half of the training classes they were scheduled for in fiscal 1988.