Better Response Seen On Fuel Tank, Icing Issues -- But More
Still Needed
While generally
praising the FAA for its recent efforts to improve aircraft fuel
tank and wing icing safety, the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) is again pushing the agency for clear solutions and
quicker action in response to three serious runway near collisions
this year at Boston's Logan Airport, New York's LaGuardia and
McCarren International in Las Vegas.
At a public meeting Tuesday, the NTSB reviewed its "Most Wanted
List" of safety improvements, a list that calls for action on
numerous transportation safety issues by federal agencies. NTSB
representatives tell ANN the acceptance rate of the Board's Most
Wanted List has remained consistently high and is currently about
85 percent.
"We are encouraged by the progress that we have seen in the
acceptance rate of our recommendations," said NTSB Acting Chairman
Mark Rosenker. "Everyone of our recommendations is important,
and when implemented, all of them will improve safety. The
Board will continue to push federal agencies, industry and private
companies for more safety improvements to enhance our
transportation system."
In addition to matters involving ground and marine
transportation, the NTSB called attention to the following
aviation-related issues. Recommendations and Status are taken
directly from the NTSB's statement:
Runway
Incursions: This issue, that has been on Board's list
since it's inception in 1990, is the area the NTSB sees as
requiring the most attention. While noting that the FAA completed
action on a number of objectives to make ground operation of
aircraft safer, runway incursions still occur on what the NTSB
calls "alarming frequency." Occurrences have held constant in the
past two years, according to the FAA, with 326 incursions during
FY2004 and 324 this year. The FAA's system provides warning to air
traffic controllers, but not to the flight crews, a fact that
reduces the amount of time that pilots have to react to an
impending incursion.
Recommendation: Implement a safety system for
ground movement that will ensure the safe movement of airplanes on
the ground and provides direct warning capability to the flight
crews.
Status: Action remains on list "Open -
Unacceptable Response"
Aircraft Icing: The NTSB found fault with the
FAA not adopting a "systematic and proactive" approach to the
certification and operational issues of transport-category airplane
icing. To address issues of transport pilots failing to have
sufficient training, the NTSB suggests "a thorough certification
test program."
Recommendation: Complete research on aircraft
structural icing and continue efforts to revise icing certification
criteria, testing requirements, and restrictions on operations in
icing conditions.
Status: Issue area remains on list "Open -
Unacceptable Response."
Fuel/Air Vapors: As was recently reported in
Aero-News, the FAA has addressed issues with center
wing fuel tank explosions, by calling on carriers to implement
ventilation methods to reduce accumulation of fuel tank vapors --
cited by the NTSB as cause for 346 fatalities in four accidents
since 1984. The NTSB has closed the "short term" recommendation to
modify procedures to reduce the potential for flammable fuel/air
vapors in aircraft fuel tanks. Because the FAA took no action on
this particular recommendation, it was closed unacceptable
action.
Recommendation: Complete rulemaking efforts to
preclude the operation of transport-category airplanes with
flammable fuel/air vapors on the fuel tank on all aircraft.
Status: Issue area remains on list "Open -
Acceptable Response." (progressing too slowly)"
Audio, Data and Video Recorders: "Investigators
must have information rapidly, effectively and efficiently in order
to determine the factors related to an accident," said the NTSB.
Automatic information recording devices, such as Cockpit Voice
Recorders (CVRs) and Flight Data Recorders (FDRs) have proven to be
very useful in gathering pure factual information. This information
results in the development of timely, more precise safety
recommendations that are likely to reduce future similar
accidents.
Recommendation: In addition to adopting the 2-hour
CVR requirement, require the retrofit of existing CVR's with
Recorder Independent Power Supply (RIPS), and require that existing
FDR and CVR be on separate generator busses with the highest
reliable power so that any single electrical failure does not
disable both. Require the installation of video recording systems
in small and large aircraft. Require the recording of additional
needed FDR data for Boeing 737s.
Status: Issue area remains on list "Open -
Unacceptable Response"
Restraint Systems for
Children: Citing the FAA's policy of allowing a child less
than two years of age to travel on an adult's lap as unacceptable,
the NTSB has recommended in the past for children be restrained in
a child safety seat during takeoff, landing, and times of
turbulence.
Recommendation: All occupants should be restrained
during takeoff, landing and turbulent conditions and that all
infants and small children should be restrained in an approved
child restraint system appropriate to their height and
weight.
Status: Issue area to remain on the list "Open -
Unacceptable Action."
The text of the NTSB's complete safety recommendations can be
found at the FMI link below.