NTSB chairman admonishes FAA for moving 'too slow' on runway safety

US National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman yesterday criticized FAA for failing to act on runway safety recommendations the board repeatedly has made, including multiple recommendations first issued in July 2000.

"We really can do better than that," she said while delivering the opening address to the FAA International Runway Safety Summit in Washington, where 500 delegates from 17 countries gathered to exchange information on runway safety. "We owe it to [passengers] to address safety recommendations in a timely and effective manner," she added, explaining that she was engaging in "truth telling."

She pointed out that NTSB's recommendation issued in 2000 for FAA to switch its "taxi into position and hold" phraseology to the ICAO standard "line up and wait" is just now in the process of moving toward possible implementation next year. "How do safety improvements end up taking 10 years to deliver?" she asked. "Every day they are delayed could be the day" an accident occurs.

Hersman said FAA is taking "commendable action" in several areas regarding runway safety, such as installing Sensis Corp.'s runway status lights triggered by ASDE-X at 22 airports by 2011 (ATWOnline, June 15), but complained the agency is "just too slow." The RSLs will be installed at "only" 22 airports "11 years after NTSB recommended developing a direct warning for pilots" of potential runway collisions.

The NTSB chairman even threw cold water on FAA's recent positive news that there were 12 "serious incursions" at US airports during the government's fiscal year ended Sept. 30, including just two involving commercial carriers, down from 25 serious incursions the prior year including nine involving airlines (ATWOnline, Oct. 13).

"It's too early to tell whether it's an aberration or the beginning of a trend," she said, adding that the "economy-driven decrease in flight operations" could explain the 50% reduction in serious incursions. "It will likely take a few years to determine whether the recent drop is a trend," she warned.

Responding to Hersman's complaint that the agency is moving too slowly to implement NTSB recommendations, FAA Director-Terminal Safety and Operations Support Michael McCormick, also speaking at the conference, said that "absolutely I'm sensitive to the time constraints." He added that the agency is "working fast" on the RSL initiative and needs to "start moving [NTSB recommendations] up the escalator."