Better Response Seen On Fuel Tank, Icing Issues -- But More Still Needed

While generally praising the FAA for its recent efforts to improve aircraft fuel tank and wing icing safety, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is again pushing the agency for clear solutions and quicker action in response to three serious runway near collisions this year at Boston's Logan Airport, New York's LaGuardia and McCarren International in Las Vegas.

At a public meeting Tuesday, the NTSB reviewed its "Most Wanted List" of safety improvements, a list that calls for action on numerous transportation safety issues by federal agencies. NTSB representatives tell ANN the acceptance rate of the Board's Most Wanted List has remained consistently high and is currently about 85 percent.

"We are encouraged by the progress that we have seen in the acceptance rate of our recommendations," said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker.  "Everyone of our recommendations is important, and when implemented, all of them will improve safety.  The Board will continue to push federal agencies, industry and private companies for more safety improvements to enhance our transportation system."

In addition to matters involving ground and marine transportation, the NTSB called attention to the following aviation-related issues. Recommendations and Status are taken directly from the NTSB's statement:

Runway Incursions: This issue, that has been on Board's list since it's inception in 1990, is the area the NTSB sees as requiring the most attention. While noting that the FAA completed action on a number of objectives to make ground operation of aircraft safer, runway incursions still occur on what the NTSB calls "alarming frequency." Occurrences have held constant in the past two years, according to the FAA, with 326 incursions during FY2004 and 324 this year. The FAA's system provides warning to air traffic controllers, but not to the flight crews, a fact that reduces the amount of time that pilots have to react to an impending incursion.
Recommendation: Implement a safety system for ground movement that will ensure the safe movement of airplanes on the ground and provides direct warning capability to the flight crews.
Status: Action remains on list "Open - Unacceptable Response"

Aircraft Icing: The NTSB found fault with the FAA not adopting a "systematic and proactive" approach to the certification and operational issues of transport-category airplane icing. To address issues of transport pilots failing to have sufficient training, the NTSB suggests "a thorough certification test program."
Recommendation: Complete research on aircraft structural icing and continue efforts to revise icing certification criteria, testing requirements, and restrictions on operations in icing conditions.
Status: Issue area remains on list "Open - Unacceptable Response."

Fuel/Air Vapors: As was recently reported in Aero-News, the FAA has addressed issues with center wing fuel tank explosions, by calling on carriers to implement ventilation methods to reduce accumulation of fuel tank vapors -- cited by the NTSB as cause for 346 fatalities in four accidents since 1984. The NTSB has closed the "short term" recommendation to modify procedures to reduce the potential for flammable fuel/air vapors in aircraft fuel tanks. Because the FAA took no action on this particular recommendation, it was closed unacceptable action.
Recommendation: Complete rulemaking efforts to preclude the operation of transport-category airplanes with flammable fuel/air vapors on the fuel tank on all aircraft.
Status: Issue area remains on list "Open - Acceptable Response." (progressing too slowly)"

Audio, Data and Video Recorders: "Investigators must have information rapidly, effectively and efficiently in order to determine the factors related to an accident," said the NTSB. Automatic information recording devices, such as Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs) and Flight Data Recorders (FDRs) have proven to be very useful in gathering pure factual information. This information results in the development of timely, more precise safety recommendations that are likely to reduce future similar accidents.
Recommendation: In addition to adopting the 2-hour CVR requirement, require the retrofit of existing CVR's with Recorder Independent Power Supply (RIPS), and require that existing FDR and CVR be on separate generator busses with the highest reliable power so that any single electrical failure does not disable both. Require the installation of video recording systems in small and large aircraft. Require the recording of additional needed FDR data for Boeing 737s.
Status: Issue area remains on list "Open - Unacceptable Response"

Restraint Systems for Children: Citing the FAA's policy of allowing a child less than two years of age to travel on an adult's lap as unacceptable, the NTSB has recommended in the past for children be restrained in a child safety seat during takeoff, landing, and times of turbulence.
Recommendation: All occupants should be restrained during takeoff, landing and turbulent conditions and that all infants and small children should be restrained in an approved child restraint system appropriate to their height and weight.
Status: Issue area to remain on the list "Open - Unacceptable Action."

The text of the NTSB's complete safety recommendations can be found at the FMI link below.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov