Tancredo Says Failure To Act Is Responsible For
Hundreds Of Deaths
Colorado congressman Tom
Tancredo -- a fierce critic of the Mitsubishi MU-2, and what he
calls the government's inaction in dealing with what he terms
the plane's inherent safety problems -- has called for the
Bush Administration to replace Marion Blakey as Administrator of
the Federal Aviation Administration, and Mark V. Rosenker as
Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
"As far back as the spring of 2005, I asked the FAA to 'ground'
the Mitsubishi MU-2 series aircraft due to its shockingly high
accident rate," said Tancredo in a letter sent Friday. "Because
[they] have consistently failed to take appropriate action on this
issue despite repeated warnings about the aircrafts suitability for
use, I believe the public would be well served if they were
replaced by administrators willing to act swiftly and deliberately
on this matter."
Tancredo cites estimates as many as one-quarter of all MU-2s
produced have crashed, resulting in the deaths of more than 250
people in nearly 200 separate incidents in the US alone.
In the past month, two MU-2s have gone down in Florida. Weather
is believed to have played a role in both accidents. (Read
the NTSB Preliminary reports on these accidents here and here.)
The MU-2 is "a complex aircraft requiring operational techniques
not typically found in other light turboprop aircraft," the FAA
said in its most recent safety
proposal, issued in January. "Fully understanding the
system complexity is much more critical during an emergency
situation."
"An MU-2B pilot is seven times more likely to lose control and
have a fatal accident during an emergency when compared to pilots
flying similar types of airplanes in similar situations," the
agency added.
"We don't believe there is a safety issue with the airplane
itself," said FAA spokesman Les Dorr Jr. "It meets its original
certification standards. We continue to believe that if pilots are
properly trained to fly this airplane, this airplane can be flown
safely," Dorr added. "We want to make sure the pilot training is
standardized and mandatory."
The agency stopped short of recommending a type-rating for the
aircraft -- something that the airplane's manufacturer has
supported.
"Additional training for pilots is helpful, but is not a
sufficient solution given the MU-2's crash statistics," Tancredo
said after the FAA issued its ruling. "Grounding the aircraft
remains the optimum solution, but this is a good first step for the
FAA, who, like a recovering alcoholic, has taken the first step of
admitting that there is a problem."
ANN will keep an eye on this story -- including reaction from
the MU-2 community -- and present more details as they become
available.