WASHINGTON— A recent report criticizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for insufficient oversight of dangerous cargo shipments has raised the possibility of instituting covert inspections.

That report, issued late last year by the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Office of the Inspector General, recommends that the FAA undertake covert examinations to make sure airlines and shippers properly handle hazardous materials. The FAA is an agency of DOT.

Despite that recommendation, secret monitoring isn't likely to happen anytime soon. "The FAA does not have the legal authority to do covert inspections," says FAA spokesperson Rebecca Trexler. "You would have to make a phony shipment to test the carriers, and we can't do that now." Trexler notes that the FAA can and does conduct surprise inspections.

Most hazmat cargo moves on freighter aircraft. According to the Air Transport Association, which represents U.S.-flag airlines, those shipments account for less than one percent of all U.S. domestic cargo moved by passenger aircraft.

"The majority are medical specimens, dry ice, or some magnetic devices like disk drives," says ATA spokesman Doug Wills. "No flammables or explosives are allowed [on passenger aircraft]."

Hazmat cargo represents a declining percentage of freight forwarders' business, says David Wirsing, executive director of the Airforwarders Association. "It's an expensive proposition to handle hazmat, and more and more people are getting away from handling it," he says.

The FAA reportedly is looking at obtaining legal authority to conduct covert inspections. Wirsing says his group will take a wait-and-see approach to any rule or legislation that would allow the federal agency to engage in stealth inspections. "I don't think covert inspections are necessary," he says. "And I'm not sure covert inspections are going to make any difference."