On October 21, 2022, Administrative Law Judge Scott R. Morris issued an order approving a final settlement of AIR 21 whistleblower claims brought by Delta Air Lines pilot Karlene Petitt against the carrier. In a prior order, dated June 6, 2022, Administrative Law Judge Scott R. Morris ordered Delta Air Lines to publish to its 13,500 pilots a legal decision finding that the airline had used compulsory psychiatric examination as a “weapon” against Karlene Petitt after she internally raised safety issues related to the airline’s flight operations.

Delta conceded, and the judge found, that the Complainant had presented to Delta Senior Vice President of Flight Operations Steven Dickson and Delta Vice President of Flight Operations Jim Graham a 46-page safety report that set forth in substantial detail her concerns relating a number of safety-related issues, including:

– inadequate flight simulator training

– deviation from line check evaluation procedures

– pilot fatigue and associated violations of FAA-mandated flight and duty limitations

– the inability of senior pilots to hand-fly Delta aircraft

– errors in pilot training manuals

– falsification of training records

– flaws in Delta’s upset recovery training

Dickson was subsequently appointed by President Trump to the position of FAA Administrator – the highest position within the federal agency overseeing aviation safety.

As Judge Morris held:

“It is improper for [Delta] to weaponize this process for the purposes of...

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