Extension of NTSB Info-Sharing Policy Should Enhance Aviation Safety

December 12, 2012 (Press-News.org) Ongoing efforts to improve airline safety to reduce plane crashes and other accidents that harm or kill passengers must come from all sectors of the industry. Federal regulators, company managers and employees all have exclusive areas of insight that can lead to safer operations.

A recent announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines and unions is based on the benefits of sharing more information about mishaps and perceived risks. These key groups have all agreed to expand disclosures to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to help that agency spot factors that can lead to airline fatalities and distinguish unique causes from systemic risks.

Previous disclosures under the NTSB's Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) initiative have led to important changes:
- Amendments to standards for runway taxi practices have reduced runway incursions and the risk of collisions between jets on the ground
- Proactive training and fatigue management have reduced mistakes by air traffic controllers such as runway assignment errors
- Using information about safety threats to encourage airlines to implement corrective procedures

ASIAS currently receives data based on 95 percent of all commercial aviation operations. The FAA credits ASIAS as a crowning achievement in a ten-year period that saw significant reductions in commercial aviation fatality risks.

The data collected under the ASIAS system includes everything from basic data entered by flight crews and maintenance employees from 42 member airlines to quality assurance programs for flight operations. "I am grateful to the FAA, industry and labor for their leadership,'' NTSB chair Deborah Hersman said in a press release. "Better information leads to better investigations."

The FAA will continue to increase the database access for ASIAS by encouraging participation by regional air carriers and expanding the program to general aviation, helicopter operators and the military. That level of access can result in significant safety benefits for air travelers as ASIAS becomes more and more adept at predicting risk factors that can be minimized via new regulations.

As accustomed as Americans are to hearing about the NTSB's arrival at airline crash sites to investigate and collect data, the agency's ability to channel information is every bit as important when it prevents air tragedies in the first place. In a similar way, the information gleaned by aviation injury lawyers from plane crash litigation can lead to safety developments and innovations as well as justice for injury victims.

Article provided by Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C.
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