Issues related to distracted driving, including the use of Smartphone apps, texting behind the wheel and other forms of distraction have received a great deal of public awareness in recent years. In February, this blog reported that the National Transportation Safety Board put out a nationwide call for drivers to disconnect from electronic devices while in the […]
Aviation Accidents
Call for New Rules to Prevent Airplane Fires
An investigation into a 2011 Asiana Airlines fire prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to call for stricter rules about the transport of lithium-ion batteries. The batteries in question are used in a number of applications, including cell phones, laptops and cars. The rechargeable batteries can heat up and ignite if they become damaged or […]
Aviation Safety and the Laser Problem
The aviation industry faces many hazards that must be overcome to prevent accidents. Most of those hazards can be addressed with proper training and equipment. One hazard has proven more difficult to control, however. The proliferation of cheap, handheld lasers has created a problem that the Federal Aviation Administration and pilot associations have been unable […]
Recreational Drones and Aviation Safety
A growing number of safety incidents involving remote-controlled aircraft has led the Department of Transportation to push for mandatory registration of the devices. Drones have grown rapidly in popularity and are expected to become even more common in the near future. This growth has led to an increase in the number of recreational drones impinging […]
Agenda for NTSB Aviation Forum Released
When a pilot loses control of an aircraft in flight, the results can be catastrophic. Preventing loss of control in flight in general aviation is on the 2015 Most Wanted List of safety improvements for the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB recently released the agenda for its upcoming general aviation safety forum, to be […]
FAA Study Shows Fatigue Problems Among Air Traffic Controllers
Fatigue can have a substantial impact on your ability to complete a task successfully. In the aviation industry, studies on fatigue have often focused on pilots. Fatigue is also a potential safety hazard for others in the aviation industry, including air traffic controllers. A study of controllers completed in 2011 shows that the typical work […]
Emotional Support Animals and Aviation Safety
For many reasons, a certain percentage of travelers choose to bring their pets with them on airline flights. While traveling with a pet can be soothing, a new phenomenon has taken the practice further. Flight attendants are noticing an increase in the number of passengers bringing emotional support animals onto flights. The flight attendants worry […]
Child Safety on Airplanes Targeted in Canadian Investigation
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada recently concluded an investigation into a 2012 plane crash in which a 6-month-old child was killed. The investigation led the TSB to recommend that specially designed seat belts be made mandatory for children and babies on commercial flights. That recommendation is in line with a number of groups concerned […]
Runway Incursions Continue to Be a Problem
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration consider runway incursions to be a top safety concern. Runway safety appeared on the NTSB Most Wanted List of advocacy priorities as recently as 2012. Runway incursions, situations involving planes taxiing, taking off or landing, represent a significant threat at airports throughout the country. A […]
New Chairman of the NTSB Confirmed
In a unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed Christopher Hart as the new chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Mr. Hart has been acting chairman of the NTSB since April, when Deborah A.P. Hersman left to become the president and CEO of the National Safety Council. The confirmation allows Christopher Hart to officially begin […]
Transportation Safety Data Released
The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary data concerning 2013 transportation fatalities. According to NTSB figures, 34,678 people were killed across all modes of transportation in 2013. That represents a slight decrease from 2012, during which 35,796 died in transportation accidents. The data groups all deaths from highway accidents, aviation accidents, marine, rail and […]
New Recommendations for the FAA
The more time that passes following an accident, the harder it is to determine the cause of that accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to make several changes it hopes will allow plane crashes to be found faster and will aid in investigating those crashes. The eight recommendations from […]
Sleep Apnea in the Aviation Industry
The sleep disorder known as sleep apnea has safety implications in the transportation industry. People who suffer from sleep apnea suffer from interruptions in their breathing during sleep. These interruptions can occur frequently throughout the night, causing a victim to experience significant fatigue even after a normal-length sleep period. In addition to drowsiness, victims may […]
Report Calls For Better Pilot Training, Procedures and Management
A study drafted over the course of two years and involving aviation laborers, scholars, industry leaders and the U.S. government has reached a number of conclusions about air safety. The report particularly emphasized the need for better emergency procedures. As the work of flying an airliner has become increasingly automated, pilots and crew need more […]
Priorities in NTSB Investigations
The National Transportation Safety Board lists general aviation among its top ten advocacy priorities in 2014. According to the NTSB, general aviation accidents make up the vast majority of aviation-related deaths in the U.S. The NTSB has been charged with conducting investigations into aviation accidents for nearly 50 years and has conducted numerous safety studies […]
Air Traffic Control Transitioning from Radar to Digital Guidance
Historically, radio transmissions have been the predominant means of communication between flight crews and air traffic controllers. Times are changing, however, as air traffic increases throughout the world and digital communication becomes the norm. A single mistake in air traffic control can have catastrophic consequences, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently developing digital […]
Aviation Safety: When Will the FAA Require Child Safety Seats?
Thankfully, parents today accept it as common sense that children, particularly young children, should be in appropriate car seats anytime they travel in a motor vehicle. This is due in large part to strict laws regarding car seat use for children. Unfortunately, the same is not true for air travel. While no parent would consider […]
Laser Offenses an Increasing Problem in Aviation Safety
Because of the serious risk of aircraft accidents, it is now illegal to point a laser at a helicopter or an airplane. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 raised the penalties for so-called “lasing” offenses, one response to the number of reported laser incidents having increased by 1,000 percent since 2005. A quick […]
Helicopter Pilots Must Adhere to New FAA Rules
About 10 years ago, the Federal Aviation Administration began ramping up efforts to improve helicopter safety — in particular for air ambulances. The ensuing four years saw a decline in helicopter crashes, but in 2008 the FAA reported a record number of helicopter fatalities. In light of the 2008 accidents and other data collected over the […]
Investigation of Cargo Plane Crash Points to Pilot Fatigue as a Factor
In recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration has addressed the problem of fatigue among on-duty airline pilots. Studies have shown that operator fatigue can result in impairment similar to the effects of alcohol, and federal restrictions are currently in place to help ensure that pilots get enough sleep. However, when the FAA presented its new […]
