Will Not Ground Aircraft... Or Require A Type-Rating

For the third time in the aircraft's much-maligned history, the Mitsubishi MU-2 has received the conditional support of the Federal Aviation Administration. On Thursday, the agency once again stated enhanced training procedures are the answer to reducing accidents in the speedy twin-turboprop.

The MU-2 is "a complex aircraft requiring operational techniques not typically found in other light turboprop aircraft," the FAA said in the safety proposal. "Fully understanding the system complexity is much more critical during an emergency situation."

"An MU-2B pilot is seven times more likely to lose control and have a fatal accident during an emergency when compared to pilots flying similar types of airplanes in similar situations," the agency added.

Despite the harsh tone of those statements, the FAA's findings state, in essence, there are no inherent problems with the MU-2B's design that can't be solved through better pilot training.

"We don't believe there is a safety issue with the airplane itself," said FAA spokesman Les Dorr Jr. "It meets its original certification standards."

"We continue to believe that if pilots are properly trained to fly this airplane, this airplane can be flown safely," Dorr added. "We want to make sure the pilot training is standardized and mandatory."

The agency stopped short of recommending a type-rating for the aircraft -- something that the airplane's manufacturer has supported.

The proposal comes after the FAA began an inquiry into two Colorado accidents involving the MU-2B in less than nine months. Both fatal accidents occurred in the vicinity of Denver's Centennial Airport.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America spokesman Scott Sobel told the Associated Press the company is all for telling operators to stick to the manual when flying its aircraft.

"Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America supports the report's main finding that MU-2 aircraft operators need to be trained according to the manufacturer's flight manual procedures which have been in place for decades to maintain safety standards," Sobel said.

Denver's CBS-4 reports the FAA also proposed reviewing procedures at Centennial Airport, to insure those two accidents weren't, in part, caused by problems with the airport's navigational aids, or ATC and approach/departure procedures.

The FAA's proposal comes as little comfort to those who have stated the only way to solve the MU-2's problems is to ground the aircraft -- including Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo.

"Additional training for pilots is helpful, but is not a sufficient solution given the MU-2's crash statistics," Tancredo said in a statement quoted by the Rocky Mountain News. "Grounding the aircraft remains the optimum solution, but this is a good first step for the FAA, who, like a recovering alcoholic, has taken the first step of admitting that there is a problem."

Aero-News has reported extensively on several accidents involving the controversial MU-2, including the most recent accident that claimed the lives of two pilots in British Columbia last December... which prompted Tancredo to renew his call for the airplane to be grounded.

FMI: www.faa.gov