The National Transport Safety Board Most Wanted List - Research Paper Example

NTSB Most Wanted List Introduction The objective of this research paper is to discuss the reasons why runway safety made the most wanted list and to discuss some of the implementation solutions implemented by both FAA and NTSB to increase runway safety. Several researchers have made very great contributions to this issue of runway safety, most of them through the Transport Research Board. Dixon (2009) discussed the actions and needed to improve the FAA runway safety area program. Ayres (2011) discussed improved models for risk assessment of runway safety areas. Hall (2008) discussed an analysis of aircraft overrun and undershoots for runway safety areas and, lastly but not least, Costello (2010) undertook a runway safety update. However, none of the scholars have discussed clearly why this runway safety makes the most wanted list and neither have they discussed non-technical and technical solutions implemented by FAA and NTSB to improve runway safety. This makes this research paper to be very important and necessary. The National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable cause of accidents, promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims of transportation accidents. This board has formulated a list, which is called the NTSB most wanted list representing its advocacy priorities in terms of transportation safety. This list is designed to increase awareness of transport accidents and provide support needed for reduction of transportation accidents. Moreover, it is intended to provide most critical changes needed to reduce transport accidents. This list is updated annually based on the level of progress made and whether the impetus exists for change (NTSB Media, 2012). General aviation accidents have been escalating in the past two years. According to NTSB Media (2012), records showed that aviation accidents rose from 1500 to 1550 with their fatality increasing from 473 to 485 in 2011 with thirty two accidents being recorded (NTSB Media, 2012). The NTSB feels that this calls for action in order to make sure that in the coming year we reduce them, thus increasing the safety of air travel. This is actually the reason why the board decided to include an aspect of air transport in its most wanted list to ensure that it draws strategies that reduce the menace. The aspect that the board decided to include was the runway safety. Most catastrophic aviation accidents are recorded in airports, in particular, during take-offs and landings (NTSB Media, 2012). These two phases can actually be considered as the most critical phases of a flight due to the level of caution required to ensure safety. In fact, these are the phases that require a lot of coordination between the air traffic controllers and the pilots and the other crewmembers. Furthermore, they are the phases in which a minor error from a pilot, cabin crew or air traffic controllers can result in fatal repercussions. These two phases thus call for critical changes and strict monitoring if we aim to achieve a safe air transport. Moreover, the airport runway environment is a far more limited area, often with steady stream of aircrafts taking off and landing on intersecting runways, sometimes with poor weather and limited visibility (NTSB Media, 2012). This can increase the probability of occurrence of an air transport accident in these areas if the pilots do not get important information at the right time from other crewmembers and air traffic controllers. This shows how challenging it is to manage the aircrafts movements within an airport. The board feels it is important to provide critical measures that can assist in improving safety in these phases of air transport. Some of the conditions in the airport put an aircraft at an increased risk for ground collisions and excursion such as overrunning or undershooting the runway during take-off or landing. According to Dixon (2009), over the last 10 years, 75 planes have overrun or veered off the nation’s runway, resulting to nearly 200 injuries and 12 fatalities. Moreover, some planes have skidded of the runway while trying to land in icy conditions. This shows that special attention needs to be employed in runways to identify possible solutions to these menaces. There are several runway accidents which have been reported in the past year, most of which resulted in a significant loss of lives and injuries. The deadliest of these accidents involved two Jumbo Jets that collided in a runway killing 583 passengers and crewmembers. Just recently in 2006, Comair flight, a regional jet, crashed after attempting to take off from the wrong runway. This was the most fatal accident among the recently reported ones claiming lives of 49 people among the 50 who were on board. Around April 2007, a regional jet ran off the departure end of the runway after landing. Although there were no injuries, the aircraft was substantially damaged. On December 2008, a Continental Airlines flight 1404 departed the left side of the runway during takeoff. In this accident the captain and five of the passengers were seriously injured and the plane was substantially damaged (NTSB Media, 2012). These runway accidents are what have made the board to feel that action is required to improve safety on runways. The board is aware that in order to reduce the likelihood of runway collision, the situation awareness of the pilots as well as knowledge on the time available to take action should be encouraged. This board is also aware that the situation awareness can be important in addressing runway excursions and the importance of direct in-cockpit warnings of probable collisions and take-off attempts on wrong runways in giving pilots advance notice of danger. To achieve this, the board decided to include runway safety in its list of most wanted this year. There are various non-technical solutions which have been implemented by various organizations and stakeholders involved in air transportation. Some of these organizations and stakeholders are the board itself, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Owners Association, the Airport Authorities just to mention a few. Each organization has contributed in a different way towards achieving a safe runway depending on its mandate and responsibilities. One of the non-technical solutions is providing training for the pilots, other crewmembers and air traffic controllers. The board has emphasized that pilot training and procedures should ensure that they obtain knowledge for distance assessments for landing, especially in the case of a contaminated runway. This training should involve training on maximum performance when stopping on slippery runways, and a method of identifying the best runway for their aircrafts (NTSB Media, 2012). The Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for training air navigation personnel, has also ensured that the air traffic controllers working in the airports are properly equipped with knowledge to help them convey important flight information to the pilots in good time. This organization has also been very strict when selecting air traffic personnel to ensure that they end up with the kind of people who have the capacity to deliver. On the other hand, the flight owners associations have contributed a lot by ensuring that all the pilots are properly trained and it has been making sure that they meet certain standards. Another non-technical solution is the setting up of laws that have to be followed and standards that have to be met by the involved stakeholders in the aviation sector. The Federal Aviation Administration has rules that govern the conduct of air traffic controllers and others which have to be followed by the flight owners. In addition, this organization has a pool of regulations that help in ensuring safety in air transport. Furthermore, it sets standards which have to be met by both all the air traffic controllers and also others which have to be met by flight companies operating in America’s airspace. The National Transport Safety Board, on the other hand, set rules and guideline regarding the recruitment of pilots and other crew members to enhance safety. As of late, it has also set some standards that have to be met by the institutions that train pilots. The Flight Owners Association on its size sets rules to be followed by all flight owners and sets standards on the level of competency required in a flight company. These three organizations coordinate very well in ensuring that the rules creates and the standards they put are in line with their objective of ensuring air transport safety. Another non-technical solution is collaboration among various stakeholders. The unity and collaboration that are experienced among various organizations involved in safety of air transport has been recommended. The National Transport Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Flight Owners Association have been working very well to supplement each other. If this continues in the near future, we will be certain of achieving great safety in air transport. However, other useful organizations should also come in to assist this organization in enhancing safety in this very important sector of the country’s economy. Several technical solutions have been adapted to improve runway safety. In terms of the technical approach, the organization that holds almost all the mandate is the Federal Aviation Authority. In addition to the various technical solutions that have already been achieved, FAA is still working very hard to improve them through a process already known as NextGen. This process has an aim of achieving a high level of technological operation in the aviation sector by 2020 (FAA, 2012). One of the technologies that have been introduced to ensure safety in the runway is Airport Movement Area Safety System/ Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model 3. This is a radar based system that tracks the movements of aircrafts and ground vehicles in the airport environment and provides controllers with automatically generated visual and audio warning of a possible runway incursion. In addition, there is Airport Surface Detection equipment Model X that processes information from the radar and other sources to provide location and aircraft identification. Moreover, there is the Runway Status Lights that provide a direct visual warning to pilots when the runway is occupied. There is also the Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal that also indicates the runway is occupied and thus unsafe to land (Costello 2010). Moreover, other equipment is used to enhance safety of an airport runway. This equipment includes the situation awareness tools that allow pilots to see their position on the airport surface. There is also the Runway Awareness and Advisory System that provides audio updates on where the plane is at the airport, where it is on a runway or taxiway and how much distance is between the aircraft and the end of the runway. Furthermore, there is the Engineering Arresting Material System that absorbs the forward momentum of an aircraft, thus helping to mitigate damage by a runway overrun and lastly, there are the Runway Safety Area Improvements which enhance safety should an aircraft undershoot or overrun the runway (Costello, 2010). The equipment that at the moment has been installed in almost all the airports in the country is expected to reduce the runway accidents significantly. In almost all the airports this equipment is properly installed to ensure that it serves its purpose fully. There is a group of engineers in operation in these airports to ensure that this equipment is in good condition and to make sure that it properly functions. This solution is also one of the solutions that are expected to change for the better in the near future with introduction of new and more efficient equipment. Another technical solution is the improvement of the conditions of the aircrafts. This is actually the mandate of the Flight Owners Association and it lies on its docket. This organization makes sure that its members improve their planes in line with the increasing demands for air transport. Moreover, it makes sure that its members improve their planes to accommodate the changes that have been proposed by either the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transport Safety Board to enhance safety of air transport. Conclusion As revealed by our study, more air transportation accidents occur in the runway when the planes are either landing or taking off. Several non-technical solutions have so far been adopted to enhance safety in these runways with an objective that very soon, there will be a tremendous decline in runway accidents, or even they will not be there at all. On top of this, several technical solutions have been adopted to enhance safety on airways. The technical solutions consist of introduction of new equipment as well as improvement of airplanes. Furthermore, there is a project called NextGen that is in progress, which aim is to provide solutions that are more technical to air transport safety through improvement in the technology used in air navigation. However, this research does not identify the progress that is continuing to provide more non-technical solutions to air transport accidents menace. I thus propose that another research to identify the progress so far in seeking non-technical solution to this menace be done to supplement our findings. References Ayres, M. (2011). Improved model for risk assessment of runway safety areas. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board. Costello, J., F. (2010). Runway safety: An update: Congressional hearing. Washington, DC: DIANE Publishing Co. Dixon, L., E. (2009). Actions taken and needed to improve FAA’s runway safety area program …. Washington, DC: DIANE Publishing Co. FAA. (2012). NextGen: What is New. Retrieved on 4 May 2012 from http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/today/whatsnew/. Hall, J., W. (2008). Analysis of aircraft overruns and undershoots for runway safety areas. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board. NTSB Media. (2012). National Transport Safety Board: Press releases. Retrieved on 4 May 2012 from http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press_releases.html. Read More