General Aviation and Air Carrier Operations. True, FSDO's don't issue written legal opinions and if one did, you are correct. I am very familiar with the FAA legal process. I have filed hundreds of violations during my career and only lost one case before the NTSB Administrative Law Judge. On the other side, I have represented more than 50 pilots at informal conferences and have never lost a case against the FAA. I am not an attorney but I am a retired FAA Inspector, Flight Inspection Pilot, Air Traffic Controller and a former Test Pilot for Gulfstream. The answer to the tail wheel cases were not ever adjucated by the NTSB. There were violations in both cases. The first one, both were violated, and the FAA suspendend both certificates. The second one the NTSB said the pilot in the back was PIC but the FAA said he wasn't. That will be figured out in a civil trial that has nothing to do with the FAA.
You were a busy Inspector! I was more typical, filing probably less than a hundred violations in 30 years. In fairness, probably half of that time was in management plus regional and HQ staff jobs.
As far as FAA legal opinions, here is the info on NTSB's required acceptance of FAA guidance and opinions (from HB 2150):
NTSB Deference to FAA.
(1) In its adjudication of certificate action and civil penalty cases, unless the NTSB finds
the FAA interpretations to be “arbitrary, capricious, or otherwise not according to law,” it is
bound by (must defer to) all validly adopted interpretations of:
•
Laws and regulations the FAA carries out, and,
• Written FAA policy guidance available to the public related to sanctions to be
imposed.
(2) An example of NTSB deference to FAA regulatory interpretations is found where the
FAA issued a written interpretation of 14 C.F.R. § 91.123, stating that this regulation obligates
pilots to listen, hear and comply with all ATC instructions and clearances except in an
emergency, and stating that pilot inattention, carelessness or unexplained misunderstandings do
not excuse deviations from clearly transmitted clearances and instructions. 64 Fed. Reg. 15912
(1999). The NTSB is required to defer to this regulatory interpretation in its adjudication of air
safety cases where the FAA interpretation is found to be a reasonable, nonarbitrary, and lawful
construction of the regulatory language. Garvey v. NTSB, 190 F.3d 571 (D.C. Cir, 1999),
Administrator v. Merrell
, NTSB Order No. EA-4814 (2000).
(3) For NTSB deference to FAA sanction guidance, the sanction guidance table in
Appendix B of FAA Order 2150.3B has been made available to the public and thus the NTSB
must give similar deference to the FAA policies and sanction ranges set forth in it when
requested to do so by agency counsel.