Thu, Oct 30, 2008
Government, Industry Personnel Meet To Make Runways Safer
This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) convened
the Runway Safety Council, a joint government-industry body that
will take a deeper, systemic approach to improving runway
safety.
The goal of the council is to fundamentally change the existing
safety culture and move toward a proactive management strategy that
involves different segments of the aviation industry.
The FAA says the council will play a lead role in resolving
critical surface safety issues. The participating entities will
dedicate subject matter experts and analysts to a team that will
examine the root causes of runway incursions. The Root Cause
Analysis Team will investigate incidents from a systems
perspective, getting input from airports, operators and air
traffic.
One focus will be on how human factors contribute to runway
incursions and what can be done to reduce human errors. The Root
Cause Analysis Team will analyze and attempt to resolve issues in a
positive, non-punitive environment. The team will recommend to the
council ways to resolve or mitigate system risks. If the council
supports the recommendations, it will work with different parts of
the FAA to address what needs to be done, and track progress toward
a solution of the problem.
A coordinated, systemic approach is necessary because serious
runway incursions are seldom caused by a single factor. The current
culture separates responsibility for incursions into different
categories: operational errors by controllers, pilot deviations or
vehicle or pedestrian deviations. Investigations into those
incidents are conducted by different parts of the agency, depending
on which category is responsible.
The council includes officials from the FAA, the National Air
Traffic Controllers Association, the Professional Aviation Safety
Specialists, the Air Line Pilots Association, the Air Transport
Association, the American Association of Airport Executives, the
Airports Council International, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association, the National Association of Flight Instructors, the
National Business Aviation Association and the Air Taxi
Association.
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