Aviation Safety in a Congested Environment

In this article (Paragraph No. 5011), the author notes that projected increases in air travel - nearly double the number of aircraft and U.S. passengers by 2010 - could result in a major hull loss somewhere in the world every week, and adds that the entire aviation community must share the responsibility for maintaining the system's safety. In that light, the author observes that regulators and industry make their safety decisions based on statistical databases and observations of developing trends, but argues that simple statistics and an actuarial approach cannot be the sole approach to making the skies safer. Catastrophic accident causes that have not yet become statistically relevant also must be addressed and eliminated, the author stresses. Accident investigators deal with accidents as they occur, determine their implications for aviation safety, and recommend ways to prevent future accidents, he adds. Public confidence in the safety of air transport arises from a system of interrelationships among the Federal aviation Administration, airlines, manufacturers, and the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB's use of this "party system" to uncover and report on whatever deficiencies it finds during accident investigations creates a healthy tension among the participants. However, the author urges that further improvements in the system's remarkable safety record will take extraordinary measures; predictions indicate that future U.S. accidents will be fewer in number but more complex, requiring more and better data to determine causes. In order to achieve the next level of safety, the author says, there is no justification for not upgrading flight and cockpit data recorders, and that cockpit image recorders, a natural "next step," have become both technically and economically feasible. The author makes a strong case for the use of cockpit image recorders, arguing that they can be used in aircraft not equipped with other types of recorders, and that they would allow investigators to better identify human factors issues. The author emphasizes that one accident cause - corporate culture - has not yet been addressed by FAA programs. He concludes by defending the NTSB'S role in aviation safety. While individual accidents can and do highlight failures in the system, the author says, they also show that independent accident investigation bodies, separate from other governmental agencies, are a necessity, as is the sharing of accident and incident information by independent investigating bodies on an international basis.

• Corporate Authors:

  International Aviation Law Institute

  DePaul University College of Law, 25 E Jackson Boulevard
  Chicago, IL  United States  60604
• Authors:
  • Hall, James E
• Publication Date: 2004

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: Transfer Binder 1: 2001 to 2004
• Pagination: pp 1051-1059
• Monograph Title: Issues in Aviation Law and Policy

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Aviation safety; Crash causes; Crash investigation; Culture (Social sciences); Flight recorders
• Uncontrolled Terms: Cockpit image recorders
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Law;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01150747
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 19 2010 10:59AM