Lawmaker Puts Pressure on FAA on Air Safety R&D

The National Transportation Safety Board will meet in Washington, DC on July 26 to announce the results of its investigation into the August 27, 2006, crash of Comair Flight 5191, a Bombardier CRJ-100, upon takeoff before dawn from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, KY. Of the 47 passengers and three crewmembers on board, only the first officer survived. The proceedings will be closely watched by U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler (D-KY) has sharply criticized the FAA and NTSB for not responding quickly on issues raised by the fatal accident. Meanwhile, Rep. Chandler has introduced a bill that calls for an independent review of the FAA’s aviation safety-related research programs—in particular those programs related to air traffic control and runway safety. The lawmaker says the FAA Aviation Safety Research Assessment Act of 2007 comes at a critical point in time.  “The Comair crash last year made it clear that improved safety measures for air traffic controllers and pilots are desperately needed in airports throughout the United States. It is crucial that we act immediately to implement these much needed safety improvements,” he believes. While the FAA has promised to adopt new rules that would make technology used to prevent runway accidents more affordable for airlines, they are still lagging behind on the implementation of these rules.  This technology, if made available, could decrease the number of near-accidents that occur each year.  He cited 31 “serious close calls” in 2006 as justitication “It is unacceptable that so many incursions are still taking place, even after the Comair crash at the Blue Grass Airport,” said Chandler.  “We must do all we can to ensure that proper safety measures are implemented as soon as possible so that we can prevent similar tragedies from happening again.” Currently, the FAA is conducting research that could prevent accidents, such as the impact of air traffic controller workloads, avoiding runway incursions, and other human factors.  The bill will call for an assessment of these FAA aviation safety-related research programs to ensure that they are operating effectively and in a timely manner. The independent assessment would be made by a committee of the National Academies’ National Research Council. “We simply cannot afford to wait any longer for the FAA to act.  The FAA must be held accountable on their promises to bring added safety measures and equipment to airports across the nation,” Chandler stated.