FAA Issues New Safety Goals - NTSB Says Existing Risks Not Being Reduced

Air Safety Week, Nov 15, 2004

* Reduce airline fatal accident rate.

* Reduce GA fatal accident rate.

* Reduce accidents in Alaska.

* Reduce runway incursions.

* Produce a composite index of system-wide safety.

* Reduce risk to uninvolved persons and property from commercial space launches.

* Reduce risk of midair collisions.

Suggested Alternative Performance Targets*

(Note: robust safety programs repeatedly have demonstrated that they save more money than they cost. As examples, see ASW, Dec. 8, 2003 for Air Transat, and ASW April 15, 2002, for Delta Air Lines.)

* Reduce overall airline and GA accident and incident rate by focusing on non-fatal as well as fatal events.

* Install system(s) to reduce or eliminate risk of fuel tank explosions, progress to be measured as a percentage of fleet installation, Part 121.

* Reduce the risk of in-flight icing, and the number of accidents and incidents therefrom, for all categories of aviation by strengthening pilot education and improving ice protection system(s) performance.

* Reduce the accident and incident rate in air cargo operations, to include scheduled carriers and those operating under supplemental rules. Introduce cockpit take-off performance monitors as a supporting initiative to achieve this goal (see ASW Nov 1).

* Reduce the number of maintenance-related accidents, incidents and turnbacks, all categories, through strengthened oversight and by resolving the ongoing Service Difficulty Report (SDR) system review (see ASW, Jan. 20, 2003).

* Reduce the number and rate of the most serious runway incursions, at both towered and non-towered airports by deploying a Dreadle-type system that provides a direct warning to pilots (see ASW, July 16, 2001).

* Reduce the risk, by number and rate, of separation losses posing the greatest risk of midair collisions.

* Reduce the number of unscheduled landings for smoke and fire, especially those involving electrically related high temperature events by implementing a comprehensive detection and protection strategy, as called for by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada (see ASW, March 8 and, more particularly, ASW, Nov. 1, 1999).

* Reduce the problem of post-accident data deficiencies by installing dual flight data and cockpit voice recorders with independent power backup on all Part 121 aircraft, and install cockpit video recorders on all aircraft carrying passengers for hire. Progress to be measured as a percentage of fleet installation.

* Expand air transportation oversight system (ATOS) to cover all Part 121 certificate holders, to include regional and cargo operators. Use percent of certificate holders under ATOS as performance target.

* Require Part 121 carriers to implement safety management systems (SMS), flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) and related aviation safety action program (ASAP), moving beyond voluntary implementation to achieve more robust "data-driven safety."

* Reduce injuries from in-flight turbulence through improved data collection, crew education and procedures.

* Reduce the incidence of aircraft damage from bird strikes through strengthened airport wildlife management programs (see ASW, Sept. 21).