Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008

Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 - Establishes in the Department of Transportation (DOT) an Aviation Safety Whistleblower Investigation Office to receive and assess complaints and information relating to possible violations of aviation safety laws and regulations.

Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modify the FAA customer service initiative, mission and vision, and other policy statements to: (1) remove any reference to air carriers and other entities regulated by the FAA as "customers"; (2) state that in regulating safety the only FAA customers are individuals traveling on aircraft; and (3) state that air carriers and other entities regulated by the FAA do not have the right to select the FAA employees who will inspect their operations.

Prohibits any person holding an air carrier operating certificate from engaging in employment negotiations, knowingly employing, or making a contractual employment arrangement with an FAA employee if, in the preceding two-year period, the individual: (1) served as, or was responsible for oversight of, an FAA flight standards inspector; and (2) had responsibility to inspect, or oversee inspection of, the operations of the certificate holder.

Prohibits any individual serving as a principal supervisory inspector of the FAA from being responsible for overseeing the operations of a single air carrier for a continuous period of more than five years.

Directs the FAA Administrator to: (1) modify the Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program to require inspectors to verify that air carriers implement solutions to correct violations they have voluntarily disclosed and evaluate, before accepting a new report of a previously disclosed violation, whether such air carriers took such corrective actions; (2) establish a process for the review and approval of voluntary self-disclosures received from air carriers; (3) establish a National Review Team to conduct periodic, unannounced audits of air carrier operations and maintenance practices to evaluate FAA air carrier oversight throughout the United States; and (4) establish a process for the monthly review of the FAA air transportation oversight system database by FAA employees.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov