According to the Wall Street Journal, this week, the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration, for the second time in less than two years, issued its second proposed civil penalty accusing AMR Corp.'s American Airlines of allowing the maintenance failures to happen.

On Thursday, it was disclosed by the U. S. Office of Special Counsel that Southwest failed to complete compulsory preservation involving rivets around the window frames of 55 of its Boeing 737 aircraft.

The FAA managers were marked at fault by the special counsel for what it said was a comfortable rapport that allowed the airline to break rules while avoiding a penalty. Southwest however, was already being scrutinized by congressional panels and Government investigators for other violations which involved more planes.

Associate Special Counsel William Reukauf wrote that the "second investigation has shown that some FAA managers continue their willingness to look the other way rather than enforce". He added, "FAA managers must be held accountable for their complicity with airline noncompliance".

It's said that violations that were revealed in 2008 projected in a $10.2 million penalty against Southwest. FAA compromised on a $7.5 million penalty a year ago.