FAA Mandated The Change, Kept Potential Threat Quiet

The FAA recently required the nation’s airlines to disable the oxygen generators located in all aircraft lavatories to eliminate a potential safety and security vulnerability. The airlines reportedly completed the work on the 6,000 aircraft in the U.S. fleet on Friday March 4.

The FAA, along with other federal agencies, identified and validated the potential threat, then devised a solution that could be completed quickly.

In order to protect the traveling public, the FAA eliminated the problem before making the work public. Had the FAA publicized the existence of this security vulnerability prior to airlines fixing it, thousands of planes across the U.S. and the safety of passengers could have been at risk. This proactive measure will help keep travelers as safe and secure as possible.

Rapid decompression events on commercial aircraft are extremely rare.  If there is a sudden loss of cabin pressure, pilots are already trained to guide the aircraft to a safe, breathable altitude as quickly as possible.  Flight attendants are also already trained to assist passengers to quickly access oxygen – including those in the lavatories.

The FAA is asking operators to reinforce crew emergency procedures to make it a priority to check whether the lavatory is occupied following any event where oxygen masks are deployed in the cabin.  Operators may also choose to include additional instructions on the briefing cards, on placards in the lavatory or during the verbal passenger safety briefing.

The FAA and aircraft manufacturers are working to design, certify, and install a new lavatory oxygen system on all of the different aircraft types and configurations in the U.S. fleet.

FMI: www.faa.gov