Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
The major US airlines are expected to announce in December a programme to install voluntarily enhanced ground-proximity-warning systems (EGPWS) in all their aircraft.
According to Carol Hallett, president and chief executive of the US Air Transport Association (ATA), the launch of the safety initiative is expected at an ATA members' meeting on 12 December.
The launch anticipates a move by the US Federal Aviation Administration for compulsory installation of the systems in most turbine-powered aircraft. The US National Transportation Safety Board has urged installation of the EGPWS, which was developed by AlliedSignal Aerospace.
According to an industry source, Jane Garvey, the new FAA boss, recently told industry officials that a notice of proposed rule-making (NPRM) for compulsory installation of the EGPWS in all civil turbine-powered aircraft with six or more passenger seats would be issued before the end of the year. Others, however, believe that the NPRM will be delayed.
It is widely believed that the December 1995 controlled-flight-into-terrain loss of an American Airlines Boeing 757 near Cali, Colombia, could have been avoided if the EGPWS had been aboard. American, American Eagle, Alaska Air and the US Air Force have all decided to buy the EGPWS in advance of an FAA requirements.
The enhanced safety device compares a digital database of the world's terrain with the aircraft's location and altitude to generate a map-like display of the surrounding terrain. The basic GPWS offers a 15s alert, while the enhanced version provides a 1min warning.
Hallett says that the ATA's senior advisory committee will recommend that all ATA members should embrace the EGPWS. Noting that ATA members American and Alaska Air are already buying systems, Hallett is "optimistic that this will be a position that the entire ATA membership will support".
Source: Flight International