Fri, Apr 24, 2009
NTSB Acting Chairman Praises Dot Secretary For Release Of Bird
Strike Data, Suggestion For Mandatory Reporting
National Transportation Safety Board
Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has praised Department of
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his decision to publicly
release a government database on aircraft bird strikes.
The Federal Aviation Administration had proposed a rule that
would have barred from public release reports from pilots of
incidents involving birds striking aircraft. The NTSB filed an
objection to the proposal this week, stating that "public access to
all the data in the FAA Wildlife Strike Database is critical to the
analysis and mitigation of the wildlife
strike problem..."
"I fully support the decision of Secretary LaHood to release
this data to everyone," Acting Chairman Rosenker said.
"The more information is known about the extent of this problem,
the better able regulators and others will be to combat a
phenomenon that brought down an airliner and possibly a
transport-category helicopter earlier this year.
"I was particularly gratified to read the Secretary's comments
in the news media today suggesting he would support making these
reports mandatory. As many may know, in 1999 the NTSB recommended
that the FAA require all airplane operators to report bird strikes;
reporting is currently on a voluntary basis."
The NTSB has announced that a public hearing into the January
ditching of US Airways flight 1549 will be held in June. The threat
of bird strikes to aviation safety is one of the issues that will
be explored at that hearing.
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