Lengthy List Follows The Conclusion Of US Airways Flight 1549 Investigation

The NTSB has issued 24 individual recommendations following the conclusion of its investigation into US Airways Flight 1549, which famously ditched in the Hudson River with no loss of life following the ingestion of large birds into both engines of the Airbus A320.

The recommendations cover a range of issues, from proposed changes in engine-out checklists as related to bird ingestion and low-level dual engine-out training for pilots, to requiring "applicants for aircraft certification to demonstrate that their ditching parameters can be attained without engine power by pilots without the use of exceptional skill or strength."

Several of the recommendations apply specifically to Airbus aircraft. The NTSB recommends that the FAA require Airbus operators to amend the ditching portion of the Engine Dual Failure checklist and any other applicable checklists to include a step to select the ground proximity warning system and terrain alerts to OFF during the final descent, and to expand the angle-of-attack- protection envelope limitations ground-school training to inform pilots about alpha-protection mode features that can affect the pitch response of the airplane. It is also recommended that the FAA require Airbus to redesign the frame 65 vertical beam on A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes to lessen the likelihood that it will intrude into the cabin during a ditching or gear-up landing and Airbus operators to incorporate these changes on their airplanes.

More generally, the NTSB recommends that the FAA work with the military, manufacturers, and NASA to complete the development of a technology capable of informing pilots about the continuing operational status of an engine, require manufacturers of turbine-powered aircraft to develop a checklist and procedure for a dual-engine failure occurring at a low altitude, and once the development of the checklist and procedure for a dual-engine failure occurring at a low altitude has been completed, as asked for in Safety Recommendation A-10-66, require 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, Part 135, and Part 91 Subpart K operators of turbine-powered aircraft to implement the checklist and procedure.

Seven of the recommendations were also passed along to the EASA.

A final recommendation was made to the Department of Agriculture. The safety board says the Ag department should develop and implement, in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration, innovative technologies that can be installed on aircraft that would reduce the likelihood of a bird strike. It issued a similar recommendation to the FAA.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.faa.gov