This page indexes every primary source document, audio recording, video, congressional record, court filing, and forum discussion referenced anywhere on FixFAA.org. Sources are organized by type. All documents hosted locally are preserved copies; external links open in a new tab.
Primary Documents
PDF — Government Report
DOT Study: "While FAA Took Steps Intended to Improve Its Controller Hiring Process, The Agency Did Not Effectively Implement Its New Policies"
U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General Report No. AV2017028. Released February 15, 2017. A 17-page audit detailing the FAA's failure to plan, document, or effectively implement the sweeping changes made to air traffic controller hiring in December 2013 and February 2014.
↓ Download PDF (local copy)
Referenced in: DOT OIG Report article
PDF — FAA Internal Study
FAA Study: "Review and Evaluation of Air Traffic Controller Training at the FAA Academy"
An internal 2013 FAA Academy study evaluating the design, administration, and scoring of air traffic controller training evaluations — including the shift from Performance Verifications (PVs) to Performance Assessments (PAs) and the use of computerized simulators for high-stakes end-of-course testing. No longer publicly available on the FAA website.
↓ Download PDF (local copy)
Referenced in: Evaluations
Audio Recordings
Audio — Manufacturer Sample Recording
Adacel Voice Recognition — Sample Recording
A sample audio recording of an Adacel Intelligent Communications Environment (ICE) voice recognition interaction by the manufacturer, demonstrating the automated voice ATC trainees must communicate with during high-stakes assessments.
Referenced in: Evaluations
Audio — Real World ATC Radio
Real World ATC Radio — Sample Recording
An example of real world ATC radio communication between a pilot and a tower controller.
Referenced in: Evaluations
Video — "Trouble in the Skies" Documentary
Video — Fox Business Special Investigation
"Trouble in the Skies" — Full Documentary
The Fox Business Network's multi-part investigative special report examining the FAA's 2014 overhaul of air traffic controller hiring practices, including the introduction of the Biographical Questionnaire and the purging of 28,000 qualified CTI applicants from the hiring pool.
Video — Fox News Segments
Video — Fox News / Tucker Carlson (3 Parts)
Fox News Bombshell FAA Hiring Segment (2015) — Tucker Carlson with Rep. Frank LoBiondo & Attorney Michael Pearson
A three-part 2015 Fox News segment in which anchor Tucker Carlson interviews Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and attorney Michael Pearson of Curry, Pearson & Wooten, PLC regarding the FAA's discriminatory hiring practices and the treatment of qualified CTI program graduates.
Part I — YouTube
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Part II — YouTube
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Part III — YouTube
Referenced in: Bombshell FAA Segment article, LoBiondo article
Video — Congressional Hearings
Video — U.S. House Hearing
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee — ATC Staffing Shortage Testimony, Summer 2016
Testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in which Chairman Shuster and the National Air Traffic Controllers' Association (NATCA) address the record-breaking shortage of air traffic control specialists. Also includes testimony by Ms. Bristol regarding the FAA's stated rationale for overhauling the performance verification (PV) evaluation process.
Video — U.S. House Hearing
House Oversight & Government Reform Committee — Business Meeting, January 31, 2017
A televised business meeting of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in which Chairman Jason Chaffetz shared information with committee members and the American public regarding FAA hiring practices and related concerns.
Watch (timestamp 1:29:39)
Referenced in: Dear Rep. Chaffetz article
Video — Other
Video — Manufacturer Simulator Demonstration
Adacel Simulator: Automated Voice Pilot Advises Non-Existent Runway
Adacel demonstrates in an official manufacturer video how its automated pilot voice system advises a student that it is on final to a non-existent runway (Runway 34). This video is referenced as evidence of deficiencies in the Adacel-powered FAA Tower Simulation System (TSS) used for high-stakes FAA Academy evaluations.
Watch (timestamp 4:03)
Referenced in: Evaluations
Court & FOIA Records
Court Record — Federal FOIA Litigation
Rojas v. Federal Aviation Administration, et al. — Case No. 2:2016cv03067 (D. Ariz.)
A federal Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Jorge Rojas in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, seeking disclosure of FAA records related to internal investigations of Shelton Snow, the 2014 hiring process overhaul, and the National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees (NBCFAE). In December 2017, Judge G. Murray Snow ruled that the FAA failed to carry its burden to justify withholding the requested records.
View case detail (FOIA Project)
Referenced in: Issue History, Federal Judge article
Forum Discussions
Forum Thread — PointSixtyFive.com
"Terminal Class Pass Rate" — PointSixtyFive.com
An air traffic controller forum thread in which current and recently graduated FAA Academy trainees discuss pass and failure rates in the terminal (tower) program, offering firsthand accounts of evaluation difficulty, simulator deficiencies, and training quality.
View thread
Referenced in: Theories Abound article
Forum Thread — PointSixtyFive.com
"Recent Terminal Pass Rates" — PointSixtyFive.com
A follow-up air traffic controller forum thread documenting more recent FAA Academy terminal program pass rates, with firsthand commentary from trainees, recent graduates, and field controllers.
View thread
Referenced in: Theories Abound article
Forum Thread — Reddit r/ATC
"Theories as to why academy pass rates are so low" — Reddit r/ATC
A Reddit thread in the r/ATC community in which current and former FAA Academy trainees and controllers discuss competing theories behind the spike in FAA Academy washout rates, including simulator quality, evaluation design, instructor quality, and staffing pressures.
View thread
Referenced in: Theories Abound article