New times at the faa: Since deregulation, the number of pilots, planes, and airlines has overwhelmed the Federal Aviation Administration

Whenever there is a fatal air accident in the United States, critics inevitably charge that the Federal Aviation Administration cannot keep the skies safe. And since Aug. 31, when a small Piper PA-28 private plane collided with an Aeromexico DC-9 jetliner near Los Angeles, the U.S. Congress and air safety advocates have again focused their attention on the FAA.