In response to the recent increase in serious incidents in U.S. commercial aviation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided to act by launching investigations and reviews of procedures to «ensure that the [agency’s] structure fulfills its purpose for today’s and future aerospace systems.»
In a memo, Acting Administrator Billy Nolen confirmed that a safety review team will be established to examine «the culture, structure, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts.» The initial objective will be to organize a safety summit in March to evaluate additional actions that the aviation community «needs to take to maintain its safety record.»
The summit will consist of a group of leaders from general and commercial aviation, union representatives, and others who will evaluate which mitigations are working and why others «do not seem to be as effective as before.»
The second point of action is directed at having the Commercial Aviation Safety team take a «fresh look» at data generated by the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing system.
Data Science, key to identify trends
«We need to mine the data to see if there are other incidents similar to those we have seen in recent weeks, and we need to see if there are indicators of emerging trends so that we can focus the necessary resources,» said Nolen.
The third point is to review the air traffic organization (ATO). The team will evaluate internal processes, systems, and operational integration. «I will ask the team to explore the actions needed to reinstate a collaborative, data-driven safety culture,» said the FAA administrator. «The review will also look for opportunities to strengthen the connection between ATO and the FAA to improve monitoring and action against safety risks.»
«I know that everyone shares my goal of doing everything necessary to keep our organization strong, effective, and well-prepared to tackle the challenges of the future,» Nolen concludes.
Concerning frequency
Recent runway incursions caused deep concern: the first at New York’s JFK airport when an American Airlines 777-300 crossed runway 4L via an unauthorized taxiway while a Delta 737-900ER was beginning its takeoff roll; the second when a FedEx 767 had to abort its landing on a runway where a Southwest 737-700 was taking off in Austin, Texas.
Following an investigation published by The Air Current that revealed a United Boeing 777-200 experienced a sharp descent after takeoff from Maui, Hawaii, on December 18, 2022, the NTSB confirmed it opened an investigation to determine the probable causes of the incident.
