US Government and industry safety experts have reported steady progress towards their goal of an 80% reduction in airline and general aviation accidents by 2007.
Three years into a 10-year plan the US Federal Aviation Administration and NASA, along with a number of US airlines and aviation groups, have just reviewed progress with the Safer Skies initiative. This concentrates on the most prevalent causes of fatal aircraft accidents, including uncontained engine failures, controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and runway incursions.
The main weapon against CFIT, the leading cause of fatal airline accidents, is the terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS). By last month, more than 6,000 US-registered aircraft had been equipped with TAWS.
Thirteen US carriers have now implemented flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) programmes, using flight data recorder information to monitor operational standards, and seven more are preparing for it. In total nearly 1,000 airliners, or 21% of the equipable fleet, are to provide FOQA data, and FAA administrator Jane Garvey says this will increase to three out of 10 by the end of the year. Meanwhile, NASA and industry are continuing to develop synthetic vision, a cockpit display system designed to improve safety.
The FAA has issued 23 airworthiness directives aiming to halve the number of failures of high-energy engine components within the next decade.
Garvey says a focus of this year's Safer Skies programme is "working beyond our borders with the international aviation community".
The USA has established links to other safety initiatives, including ICAO's Global Aviation Safety Programme, the European Joint Aviation Authorities' Joint Safety Strategy Initiative and Latin America's Pan American Aviation Safety Team, which share locally orientated common goals.
Source: Flight International
