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NTSB Unveils 2016 Most Wanted List, Stresses Technology
The National Transportation Safety Board unveiled its 2016 Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements this month, calling it a “road map from lessons learned to lives saved.” The list focuses on 10 broad safety improvements on which the NTSB has made recommendations that have not yet been implemented.
Several items on the list demonstrate the importance of technology in saving lives, preventing accidents and lessening the number and severity of injuries from accidents. For example, the list calls for promoting both the availability of collision avoidance technology in highway vehicles, and the completion of rail safety initiatives to prevent accidents. The list also calls for strengthening occupant protection in all modes of transportation, including laws mandating primary enforcement of seatbelt use, and age-appropriate child restraints.
Twenty years ago, the NTSB issued its first recommendation on the use of technology to prevent rear-end collisions. Implementation of this technology could significantly reduce motor vehicle crashes – by far the leading cause of death and injuries in transportation. Although federal regulators have made progress toward including such technologies in the five-star safety rating on new vehicles, the NTSB advocates, including such new technologies as standard equipment on all new highway vehicles – including commercial vehicles – just as airbags and seatbelts are now standard equipment.
Editorial: Crisis of Confidence
By Ed Downs
The crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 has left the entire aviation community stunned and horrified. It is becoming increasingly clear that this terrible loss of life was not the result of an accident, but of murder. It is also being disclosed that the co-pilot who perpetrated this mass murder was mentally unstable, and that a large number of individuals knew that. How can such a thing happen?
First, and most importantly, the staff of In Flight USA extends our sympathies and prayers to the families and friends of those lost. Such words are appropriate, but we understand they are completely inadequate. We are so sorry. The entire aviation community is looking inward to see how such a tragedy can be avoided in the future. Sadly, this is not the first time a flight crew member has taken the lives of innocent passengers while trying to satisfy a raging desire to “get even” by ending their own lives and the lives of innocent others. Suicide remains a difficult problem in many societies, as medical experts try and figure out why it is that seemingly rational people having no connection to any form of “suicide culture” feel that taking their own life is somehow a solution to supposed unsolvable problems.
NBAA Responds to USA Today’s Latest Distortions About General Aviation Safety
NBAA responded swiftly this week to a “biased [and] sensationalist” article published in USA Today, alleging that general aviation (GA) manufacturers and federal regulators have deliberately withheld safety improvements to reduce the risk of post-impact aircraft fires.
In his Oct. 27 article “Investigation: Post-crash fires in small planes cost 600 lives,” writer Thomas Frank asserts that concerns over equipment costs have prevented manufacturers from improving post-impact fire safety in GA aircraft.
“On behalf of the more than 10,000 Member Companies of the National Business Aviation Association using general aviation as a safe mode of transportation across the country and around the globe,” wrote NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen in a response to the newspaper’s letters editor. “I find it unfortunate that USA Today has again published what seems to be a biased, sensationalist opinion piece [that] paints an unfair and inaccurate portrait of our industry, rather than presenting an objective and fact-based analysis of the many facets that have contributed to safer GA operations over the past several years.
AOPA Refutes USA Today’s Misleading Report on General Aviation Safety
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) recently responded to a USA Today article written by reporter, Thomas Frank. This extremely flawed article paints a misleading picture about the safety of general aviation: It gets the general aviation safety record wrong, it ignores efforts by the industry to make general aviation safer, and it violates basic tenets of fairness and accuracy when it comes to good journalism.
The article leads one to believe that general aviation is an unsafe form of transportation, but in truth, general aviation has demonstrated significant progress in safety. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the number of fatalities has declined by more than 40 percent since the early 1990s. Of course mentioning that sort of fact would have undermined Mr. Frank’s narrative; you won’t find those statistics in his piece.
GAMA Responds to Sensationalistic USA Today Story on GA Safety
By Pete Bunce
President and CEO, General Aviation Manufacturers Association
President and CEO Pete Bunce issued the following response to Thomas Frank’s sensationalistic story in, “Unfit for Flight:”
Thomas Frank’s sensationalistic three-part series in USA Today (Unfit for Flight, June 18, 2014) fails to acknowledge the significant progress general aviation manufacturers have made to improve safety.
The reality is that the number of fatal accidents in general aviation aircraft has declined substantially in recent years. In fact, the goal of one fatal accident per 100,000 hours flown by 2018 now appears increasingly likely.
Aircraft manufacturers spend significant time and expense to ensure the safety of their aircraft. This process begins with a three-to-six year period in which the manufacturer demonstrates to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that each design meets the applicable regulations. The tightly controlled aircraft design process results in a specific design approval – the type certified design, or TC – which applies only to that particular approved design that can then be produced. If a manufacturer wants to make something different, it must go through another safety review process for approval.
Safe Landings - April 2014
GAMA Praises U.S. Appropriations Leaders for Recommending Strong Funding of Two Key Programs in Omnibus Bill
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) on Jan.14 thanked U.S. House and Senate negotiators for recommending robust funding of two key GAMA priorities — the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service and the transition to an unleaded aviation fuel for piston aircraft — in the omnibus appropriations bill.
The Appropriations Committee leaders agreed to fund the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service at the Obama administration’s requested $212 million level for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. Earlier, in accompanying report language to the House bill, House Appropriations Committee members expressed concern that “delays in FAA certification of new aircraft and related technologies could negatively affect aviation safety, as well as the economic health and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.” The Senate Appropriations Committee report to their original bill expanded upon this, and noted that strengthening a system approach to aviation safety “will allow the FAA workforce to conduct its oversight effectively without constraining the growth and innovation of the aviation industry.” The Senate report also requires the FAA to report to Congress on the agency’s progress in implementing Sections 312 (Aircraft certification process review and reform) and 313 (Consistency of regulatory interpretation) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012.
Safe Landings: December 2013
Expectation Bias
An expectation of what we think will happen has a tendency to alter what we subsequently observe or hear. This expectation bias is often exacerbated by confirmation bias, i.e., being focused on information that confirms one’s interpretation of a situation while giving less weight to that which contradicts it. The following ASRS reports show how mistakes can be made when Pilots and Controllers are carried along by familiar cues, slip into habit patterns, and become less aware of changes to what is “expected.”
“I Absolutely… Heard Our Callsign”
Circumstances confirmed this CRJ900 crew’s expectations to the point where the First Officer “absolutely” believed that their callsign was given with a takeoff clearance. The Captain, also hearing what he expected to hear, started to taxi across the hold short line before a voice from the Tower raised a red flag.
EAA Says FCC Out of Bounds by Limiting/Banning 121.5 ELTs
EAA Sends Strong Comments to FCC Docket
By EAA Staff
EAA has strongly criticized the Federal Communications Commission for its latest attempt to curtail future use of 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs), frankly telling the commission that it is infringing on aviation safety policy that rightly belongs to the FAA.
EAA’s comments came in response to the FCC’s third further notice of proposed rulemaking that invited comments on whether the FCC should prohibit the certification, manufacture, importation, sale, or use of 121.5 MHz ELTs.
ELT Ban Threatens ‘Substantial Costs, Fleeting Benefits’ FCC Should Defer to FAA on Aviation Matters
By Dan Namowitz (AOPA)
The Federal Communications Commission should “immediately abandon” its bid to prohibit the certification, manufacture, importation, sale, or use of 121.5-MHz ELTs, AOPA said in a regulatory filing.
From its technological shortcomings to its costs – estimated by the FAA as $500 million – the proposal initiated by the FCC in January should be dropped, and the FCC should defer to the FAA on this and any future regulatory actions where aviation is concerned, AOPA said in extensive formal comments submitted April 1.
Safe Landings - August 2012
What Would You Have Done?
This “interactive” issue of CALLBACK, deals with two situations that involve General Aviation Pilots’ encounters with weather. In “The First Half of the Story” you will find report excerpts describing the situation up to the decision point. It is up to the reader to determine the possible courses of action and make a decision (preferably within the same time frame that was available to the reporter). The selected ASRS reports may not give all the information you want and you may not be experienced in the type of aircraft involved, but each incident should give you a chance to exercise your aviation decision-making skills. In “The Rest of the Story…” you will find the actions actually taken by reporters in response to each situation. Bear in mind that their decisions may not necessarily represent the best course of action. Our intent is to stimulate thought, discussion, and training related to the type of incidents that were reported.
NTSB to Hold Public Hearing on Air Race and Air Show Safety
Safe Landings - October 2011
See and Avoid
The number of midair collisions in the United States has averaged 30 per year since 1978.1 These accidents primarily involve General Aviation aircraft, but Air Carrier, Corporate and other operators are by no means immune from potentially serious airborne conflicts.
In the preceding 12-month period, more than 4,000 in-flight traffic conflicts were reported to NASA ASRS. Of these, 235 met the ASRS criteria (within 500 feet) for a Near Midair Collision (NMAC). Nearly half of these NMACs involved Air Carrier, Corporate and Air Taxi operations.
Technological advances such as the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Conflict Alert (CA) have enhanced the ability of pilots and controllers respectively to resolve airborne conflicts before they become critical, but the following ASRS reports show that the “see and avoid” principle remains a crucial aspect of collision avoidance in visual conditions.
Safe Landings - May 2011
It has been said that the only voluntary act in aviation is the decision to take-off. Every action after take-off involves the skillful management of risk, the enjoyment of flight and a continuous stream of decisions that result in a safe landing.
In 1974, NASA created the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) to allow aviation professionals to share experiences in a frank, non-punitive manner. The ASRS structure allows pilots and other aviation professionals to file an anonymous report of an incident, error or occurrence that the contributor feels might be of value to others. These reports are gathered, analyzed and data based by NASA experts and made available to all interested parties as a tool for creating pro-active aviation safety programs. Additionally, NASA distributes an electronic publication, “CALLBACK,” which contains selected, de-identified, reports on a free subscription basis. In Flight USA is proud to reprint selected reports, exerted from “CALLBACK,” for our readers to read, study, occasional laugh at and always, learn from. Visit http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/ to learn how you can participate in the ASRS program.
Motor Skills: Getting Off to a Good Start
A motor skill is a learned sequence of movements that combine to produce a smooth, efficient action. This month’s we look into another type of motor skill- the skill required to produce a smooth, efficient (and safe) aircraft engine start.
Tips from the Pros - April 2011
Emergency Maneuver and Unusual Attitude Training, WHY?
By Judy Phelps, Master CFI-A
CFII Vice President, CP Aviation, Inc.
“2011 National CFI of the Year”
Judy Phelps of CP AviatioEmergency Maneuver and Unusual Attitude Training is a must for all pilots. As a new pilot it was this very training that took the fear out of flying and gave me a new sense of comfort that I hadn’t experienced before in an airplane.
I absolutely hated stalls and was terrified of the thought of doing one by myself. Could this be you? If so, you need to learn about and explore the unknown. Even if you have no fear, every pilot can benefit from experiencing spin entries and recoveries. Equally important is being turned upside down in an airplane and recovering from the unusual attitude.
Although Emergency Maneuver and aerobatic training go together, a majority of the pilots I train come with the same purpose and that is to gain confidence. Many however become hooked with their new found freedom and continue with basic aerobatics.
Safe Landings - March 2011
It has been said that the only voluntary act in aviation is the decision to take-off. Every action after take-off involves the skillful management of risk, the enjoyment of flight and a continuous stream of decisions that result in a safe landing.
In 1974, NASA created the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) to allow aviation professionals to share experiences in a frank, non-punitive manner. The ASRS structure allows pilots and other aviation professionals to file an anonymous report of an incident, error or occurrence that the contributor feels might be of value to others. These reports are gathered, analyzed and data based by NASA experts and made available to all interested parties as a tool for creating pro-active aviation safety programs. Additionally, NASA distributes an electronic publication, CALLBACK, which contains selected, de-identified, reports on a free subscription basis. In Flight USA is proud to reprint selected reports, exerted from CALLBACK, for our readers to read, study, occasional laugh at and always, learn from. Visit http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/ to learn how you can participate in the ASRS program.
Listen To Your Little Voice
ASRS report narratives frequently contain references to a “little voice” that offers timely advice. The voice, of course, resides within the mind of the reporter and is usually the voice of experience or sometimes just the “vocalization” of a gut feeling. While it is possible to get through some situations despite what a little voice is telling us, the following reports show that the voice usually has something important to say.