NTSB Most Wanted

I kept the list similar with the exception of moving Prevent Loss of Control in Flight to the last spot.  I do not agree with cockpit image recorder because of privacy reasons, but understand the value it can bring to investigations.  I shifted Fatigue related accidents to number two because this is an issue that has changed the industry and hour’s pilots need for ATP, even though fatigue is it still is a continuing matter with the new regulation, airlines are still pushing the envelope to squeeze out another dime or two at the price of the pilots.  Reducing distractions comes next at number three and a revamp of the sterile cockpit rule. This is a good example of new aviation systems to keep the skies safe and removing the human out of the equation during critical moments of flight or even not so critical phases.  These safety systems have bored the pilot in occasions where they become disconnected and revert to their phones or tablets.  Then medical fitness as number 4 and I believe it to be the fastest growing concern because of how vast mental illness can be and of different degrees.  On certain occasions it only becomes obvious an individual is sick until it’s too late.

According to the NTSB “approach to landing, maneuvering, and initial climb as the most recurring phases for loss-of-control accidents” (Bellamy 2016) that statement describes all phases of flight, implying “that the only way to be 100% safe or close to it is to have unmanned aircraft”. The fact that many lives have been loss, an angle of attack (AOA) indicator will not prevent accidents. The NTSB believes “GA owners and pilots install AOA indictors to help prevent accidents during critical and high-workload phases of flight” (Bellamy 2016). This indicator that they are recommending to be installed on GA aircraft is currently standard equipment it’s called a “stall warning horn”.  All aircraft have and been designed with redundant systems, for an example dual magnetos on reciprocating engines are designed to back up each other in case one fails, if both fail the engine dies and it’s up to the pilot to land the aircraft safely as possible.  Just because an engine fails does not mean a crash is evident, the pilot has to revert to his training to assess the situation.  If we continue to input safety systems for every situation to eliminate the human factor, we might as well have computers fly these aircraft and take the human out of the crew station.  This can be prevented by just an extra ground school or check ride specificity for AOA understanding during a currency check.  To recommend an addition of a flight system seems too vast of a move for an uncomplicated fix, but the issue still needs to be addressed.

UAV’s are a big concern, because of the lack of airspace awareness and the accessibility to these “toys”.  There are videos of UAVs running into aircraft during approach, a phase of flight that is critical in itself. This is a video example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zrXb_YQQag . UAVs should be regulated depending on size and capability and have areas of operation as do the radio controlled model planes.  Another option is to add GPS devises to the UAVs that limit it from flying into certain airspaces or disable it within so many miles from a major airport.

The Cockpit image recorder is one the FAA would most likely respond to and I believe that it would pass. This issue can relate to the public more so than other 4 because of how it can be construed.  To have real time video in the last moments or moments leading to the accident can reveal many unanswered questions and give better closer to families.  And for others unfortunately feeds our curious side.  As for many things this can be used for as Ron Nielsen, a retired US Airways captain stated“If you could absolutely guarantee that the contents of that video recorder would be limited to the people that had a need to see it, the resistance would drop away. But this is the year of YouTube.”

References

Bellamy, W., III. (2016, January 14). Avionics Today. Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/commercial/NTSBs-5-Most-Wanted-Aviation-Safety-Improvements-in-2016_86948.html#.Vwu8U_krLIV

Mathieu, S. (2010, September 26). Pilots Fight Video Recorders in Cockpits | News21 – National. Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://national.news21.com/2010-2/cockpit-video-recorders-resisted-ntsb/2/index.html