A U.S. Senator Pushed to Cut Firefighting Aircraft Inspections the Same Month His Former Company Failed One

A U.S. Senator proposed eliminating federal airworthiness inspections for wildfire-fighting aircraft the same month his former company's aircraft failed such an inspection. The senator's company, Bridger Aerospace, had received over $235 million in payments from the U.S. Forest Service since 2021 for its firefighting aircraft, which were found to have maintenance issues including a cracked wing.