GAO urges FAA to improve simulator oversight communication and staffing

The Government Accountability Office released a report on Sept. 3 2026 reviewing the Federal Aviation Administration's National Simulator Program (NSP). The review was mandated by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.

From 1990 to 2025, the number of flight simulators overseen by the NSP grew by more than 500 percent while the program's staff numbers remained steady. Between 2019 and 2024, the quantity and type of simulator evaluations conducted each year stayed relatively constant as the NSP relied on its Extended Evaluation Interval (EEI) program, which can stretch evaluation periods from the standard 12 months to as many as 36 months for simulators that demonstrate consistent, high-quality performance.

GAO found that NSP has not communicated its EEI eligibility criteria or interval decisions to simulator sponsors. Six of the ten sponsors sampled - representing over 62 percent of all simulators - expressed concerns about the lack of opportunity to provide input, noting potential safety implications of longer intervals.

The report also notes that NSP has identified staffing and skill gaps but has not remedied all mission-critical deficiencies, including gaps in standards-development expertise. Addressing these gaps is deemed essential for keeping pace with evolving simulation technology and the increased oversight workload.

GAO issued two recommendations: (1) the FAA Administrator should require NSP to develop a mechanism for sponsor communication and feedback on EEI determinations, and (2) NSP should implement a process to close all identified mission-critical skills gaps. Both recommendations remain open, and the Department of Transportation has concurred with them.