Airlines, unions and the Federal Aviation Administration announced
Thursday they would share more information on mishaps and risks they see
with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The goal is to to prevent aviation accidents, they said. Sharing information can help the NTSB determine whether an accident resulted from a unique situation or indicated systemic risks. NTSB makes safety recommendations after investigating accidents.
The new sharing agreement will allow the safety board to possibly spot dangerous trends even before accidents occur. "Better information leads to better investigations," says Deborah Hersman, NTSB chairman.
The airlines, unions and the FAA already have been sharing information since 2007. Some of the changes that have resulted from their sharing of information Include:
-- Preventing planes from departing down the wrong runways by providing new training to air-traffic controllers and working on managing fatigue.
--Reducing runway incursions by changing taxiing standards.
--Encouraging airlines to take corrective action against safety threats before an accident.
The fatality risk in commercial aviation fell 83% from 1998 to 2008, according to FAA. The last fatal accident on a passenger airline was in February 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed and killed 50 people near Buffalo, N.Y.
"The U.S. aviation industry's commitment to sharing safety information has already successfully helped us lower the fatality risk on commercial flights," says US Airways Capt. Paul Morrell, who's helped develop safety recommendations for the FAA.
The goal is to to prevent aviation accidents, they said. Sharing information can help the NTSB determine whether an accident resulted from a unique situation or indicated systemic risks. NTSB makes safety recommendations after investigating accidents.
The new sharing agreement will allow the safety board to possibly spot dangerous trends even before accidents occur. "Better information leads to better investigations," says Deborah Hersman, NTSB chairman.
The airlines, unions and the FAA already have been sharing information since 2007. Some of the changes that have resulted from their sharing of information Include:
-- Preventing planes from departing down the wrong runways by providing new training to air-traffic controllers and working on managing fatigue.
--Reducing runway incursions by changing taxiing standards.
--Encouraging airlines to take corrective action against safety threats before an accident.
The fatality risk in commercial aviation fell 83% from 1998 to 2008, according to FAA. The last fatal accident on a passenger airline was in February 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed and killed 50 people near Buffalo, N.Y.
"The U.S. aviation industry's commitment to sharing safety information has already successfully helped us lower the fatality risk on commercial flights," says US Airways Capt. Paul Morrell, who's helped develop safety recommendations for the FAA.
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