NTSB Includes Runway Excursions in "Ten Most Wanted" Safety List

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) included the prevention of runway excursions along with its previous runway incursions in its updated "Most Wanted List" of safety improvements. The inclusion creates a new recommendation rubric of "Improve Runway Safety."

As opposed to runway incursions, where an aircraft inadvertently enters a runway without proper clearance, a runway excursion address where an aircraft uncontrollably leaves a runway end, or side, usually during landing, but also during takeoffs, especially following an abort.

The Board added three recommendations in its revised list in the runway safety category: The first two would require all runways crossings be authorized only by a specific clearance, and require that runway crossing clearances be issued only after the previous runway has been crossed.  The third requests the FAA require airlines to incorporate a 15% safety margin into landing distances calculations for airlines.

While noting that the FAA is in the process of developing and testing new technologies to make ground operation of aircraft safer, the Board worries that runway safety incidents continue to occur and are increasing.  During the FAA's FY (fiscal year 2006, there were 330 incursions, but during FY2007 there were 371.

The Board notes that the FAA has already deployed or is deploying ASDE-X (airport surface detection equipment - model X) at 35 of America's busiest airports, and is looking at less expensive - and slightly less capable - alternatives for other airports.  Nevertheless, it continues to complain that these only provide direct warning to air traffic controllers, not the flight crews, which it considers inadequate because of the total system's inherent delay in warning the pilot.

Other aviation-related recommendations on its list relate to fuel-tank explosions, aircraft icing, aircraft audio, data and video recorders, CRM (crew resource management) training for FAR Part 135 flight crews, and fatigue issues for flight crews, aviation mechanics and air traffic controllers.

Fuel Tank Safety

Regarding fuel tank safety, the Board urges the FAA to complete its rule-making efforts that are underway, but which the Board expressed some frustration about slow progress.

Aircraft Icing

The Board describes the FAA's progress on aircraft icing unacceptable, and wants it to expedite its revisions for icing certification criteria, testing requirements, and restrictions on operations in icing conditions, and then use the new standards to evaluate all aircraft certified for flight in these conditions.

Flight Recorders

Because of the importance the Board places on recorded data in accident investigations, it wants the FAA to adopt the two-hour CVR (cockpit voice recorder) requirement in its NPRM (notice of proposed rulemaking), require the retrofit of existing aircraft CVR systems with RIPS (recorder independent power supplies), and require that existing aircraft have their FDR (flight data recorder) and CVR be powered on separate generator buses with the highest reliable power.  It also wants the FAA to require the installation of video recording systems in both "small and large aircraft," and require the recording of additional FDR data on some B 737s.

The FAA's progress on these recommendations is "unacceptable," according to the Board.

CRM for Part 135 Operators

The Board wants the FAA to require that Part 135 on-demand charter operators that conduct dual-pilot operations establish and implement an FAA-approved CRM training program for pilots in accordance with Part 121. Several recent fatal aviation accidents have involved Part 135 on-demand operators that either didn't have a CRM program, or it was much less comprehensive than would be required for a Part 121 carrier.  Although the FAA has agreed in principal with the NTSB's recommendation on the issue, the Board claims "no discernable progress has been made."

Human Fatigue

The Board wants the FAA to establish scientifically based hours-of-service regulations that set limits on hours-of-service, provide predictable work and rest schedules, and consider human sleep and rest requirements for flight crews, aviation mechanics and air traffic controllers.

In addition, the Board wants appropriate authorities to develop a training program for air traffic controllers, which addresses the affects of fatigue and possible countermeasures.  11-16-2007.

Click here to become a registered Flt Tech Online subscriber and receive headlines delivered to your e-mail each week

Click here to go back to the headlines