The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued more than 5,000 recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, most of which have not been acted on.
Not taking action
Speaking at the Regional Airlines Association Conference earlier today, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the board has issued more than 5,000 recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and most of them have not been acted on. According to Homendy, only 20% of the recommendations are in an open or closed status. This means that the FAA did not do what they were asked to do.
Following several near-miss incidents in the United States (US) in recent years, the NTSB has emphasized its recommendation that airlines install direct pilot alerting technology. This would alert pilots if there is a potential for collision on the runway or if they have lined up for the wrong runway or are on the wrong taxiway. Homendy said that it is one of the NTSB’s oldest recommendations, and the FAA has not acted on it.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
Homendy added that the NTSB continues to press the FAA to implement its suggestions. However, the NTSB does not only issue recommendations to the FAA; most are issued to operators or associations. Voluntary implementation has a higher success rate.
Cockpit video recorders
One of the primary recommendations from the NTSB is that cockpit video recorders, if implemented, also be installed on older aircraft. The FAA has proposed that only new aircraft have video recording capability.
The FAA issued a bill allowing manufacturers and operators one year to begin installing the technology on new aircraft. For retrofits, operators will have up to six years. Flight data recorders store 25 hours of data and the video recorders would do the same. Homendy said,
“This isn’t just important for the NTSB or the FAA in our investigations, it is critically important for operators. You want to know how to improve safety as well.”
Giving up the most wanted list
In 1990, the NTSB’s Most Wanted list was created, it highlighted transportation safety improvements needed to prevent accidents, reduce injuries, and save lives. Last year, the NTSB got rid of that list, communicating it was no longer a priority. Homendy stated that while she worked on Capitol Hill, she was a big advocate of the list.
After moving to the NTSB, she realized that it was very resource intensive for investigators. Homendy then reiterated that the NTSB exists to investigate and that it will continue to issue recommendations. Much of the board’s attention is on the investigation of the Alaska Airlines 1282 flight.
Photo: NTSB
The incident took place earlier this year, in which a Boeing 737 MAX 9 emergency exit door plug blew out midflight. Addressing the investigation, Homendy mentioned that the media has a tendency to pit the NTSB against the FAA or Boeing. She added that Boeing is critical to aviation safety.
Wanting to see the demise of anyone is not helpful. Homendy said the NTSB wants to see Boeing succeed, as it has a major role economically for the US, as well as its impact on aviation worldwide.
