They shouldn't be. Never the less, look at the track record. The FAA has a terrible record of following its own regulation. Recall the extend of unapproved and undocumented parts on board FAA aircraft, not so long ago?

I agree that the FAA should be held fully accountable.

I think the inspector who interrupted my emergency medical flight with a cardiac patient on board, and began screaming and yelling and rifling through confidential medical documents and tossing stuff out of the aircraft on the ramp (in front of witnesses) should have been censured the same as if a pilot had done that to him. It was intolerable. He was not.

I think the FSDO manager who called me into his office and demanded that I buy his secretary a dozen roses or suffer a violation was way off the mark and an idiot, but I bought the roses and moved on (despite having committed no violation of the regulation...it was cheaper than trying to argue with a stuffed suit in a position of authority).

I think the inspector who startled me by banging on my window while my engine was still turning, having cut short a checkride and jumped out of the applicant's airplane with the engines still turning to come after me, was unsafe and was actually interfering with the performance of my duties as a crew member, but did he suffer any enforcement action? Heck no. His parting shot, "You're right, and you'll win in the end, but I may just do it for spite" went unrecorded, but would have been solid gold in court. Too bad.

The inspector one cubicle over in a FSDO one day, whom I knew and whom I over heard say "I don't just want to violate this guy, but I want to ruin his life. I want to rip his heart out of his chest, still beating, and hold it up, bloody, for the world to see, just to make an example of him" was not within the bounds of reason or professionalism, either. I witnessed it, and it was abuse of his position. What was done to him? Nothing. The violation he was investigating? A 58 year old man who allegedly took partial compensation while flying a friend somewhere. Big freaking deal.

I'd love to see the FAA held to the same level of accountability, and I'd love to have seen the FAA enforce its own when using so many unapproved and undocumented parts on its "public use" aircraft, but hey, I'm just one of the guys who gets stuck and the short end of the Form 110A when the inspector comes knocking.

At least my socks match.