But Removes Airplane Fuel Tank Flammability Concerns

The National Transportation Safety Board issued its 2009 Federal Most Wanted List of safety improvements on Tuesday. Improvements to EMS flight operations were among the list of newly-added areas of concern for the aviation community... while aircraft fuel tank flammability was removed from the list.

"Our Most Wanted List, which was created in 1990, was designed to raise the public's awareness and support for transportation safety issues," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. "The safety issues on this list are critical to improving transportation safety.  When acted upon, these recommendations will reduce accidents and save lives."

The Board added Improve the Safety of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Flights.  The Board believes that a concerted effort must be made to improve the safety of emergency medical services flights. In 2006, the Safety Board issued a special investigation report addressing the safety issues involved in these operations. Although the Board has issued recommendations to improve EMS safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not implemented the changes. In the last 11 months, there have been 9 EMS accidents resulting, in 35 fatalities.

Improve Runway Safety - In the last two decades, the Safety Board has issued numerous safety recommendations addressing this issue and believes that implementing a safety system for ground movement with direct warnings to flight crews will improve runway safety. Another recommendation in this issue area would require pilots to conduct landing distance assessments before every landing based on existing performance data, actual conditions, and incorporating a minimum safety margin of 15 percent. Also, a new recommendation was added to this subject area that would provide pilots with information or alerts in the cockpit regarding attempted takeoffs from a taxiway or the wrong runway. 

Reduce Dangers to Aircraft Flying in Icing Conditions -Actions need to be taken to improve flight safety in icing conditions. The FAA has yet to complete efforts to revise icing certification criteria, testing requirements, and restrictions on operating in icing conditions. A recommendation added this year on deice boots addresses a widely held, but incorrect, belief that activation of deice boots be delayed rather than started immediately upon entering icing conditions.   

Require Image Recorders - Conventional cockpit image recorders (CVR) and flight data recorders (FDR) do not show the initial cockpit environment leading up to a crash. Image recording systems, a supplement to the CVR and FDR that are currently on large aircraft - and that could be retrofitted on smaller planes that do not have voice recorders - would provide critical information about the actions inside the cockpit and immediately before and during an accident.  

The Board removed the area Eliminate Flammable Fuel/Air Vapors in Fuel Tanks on Transport Category Aircraft from the list. On July 21, 2008, The Federal Aviation Administration published a final rule titled "Reduction of Fuel Tank Flammability in Transport Category Airplanes." The rule requires fuel/air mixtures in all fuel tanks to be below a prescribed flammability level for all newly manufactured aircraft that have more than 30 seats, as well as modifications to passenger-carrying aircraft manufactured after January 1, 1992.

The Board kept the issue Improve Crew Resource Management Training for on-demand Part 135 carriers on the list with no changes.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov