Safety
The cornerstone of our
safety goals is that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must
require the industry to comply promptly with 100% of the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) fatal air crash derived safety
recommendations.
The number of NTSB
fatal air crash derived recommendations being held in an
"Open-Unacceptable Response" status has grown from 43 to 48.
The FAA acceptance rate of 80% is unacceptable. The money and
technology are there and air travel should be as safe as possible.
Safety delayed is safety denied.
NADA/F is calling for
Congressional Hearings during 2000 for public testimony about the lack
of FAA prompt compliance with NTSB recommendations.
For example, passengers
should not be forced to wait ten years for upgraded flight data
recorders.
Passengers should not be
forced to wait until 2001, five years after ValuJet, to have all
aircraft equipped with smoke detectors and fire suppression equipment
in the cargo hold. For many years FedEx has had smoke
detectors in their cargo holds to protect airfreight-people should
have this same protection.
NADA/F wants hazardous
materials to be banned from all passenger planes. There must be
criminal prosecution against those who violate hazardous material
shipping rules.
All aircraft flying in
the U.S. should comply with the same standards as U.S. carriers.
Safety standards should harmonize up-not harmonize down.
We need stricter
controls and monitoring of the worldwide market of aircraft parts to
prevent the use of bogus airplane parts.
The FAA should
expedite the rule making and direct the airlines to require that all
passengers under the age of two be secured in a child restraint seat.
All passengers should have safe transportation, especially our
children. The FAA hue and cry that parents will take to the
highways does not stand the test-planes are full of children over the
age of two. All children should have a seatbelt on board a flight, as
required for the rest of the passengers.
Update aircraft
certification to require that all airplanes have wiring and cable in
compliance with today's industry standards. A thorough wiring/cable
inspection must be completed on all aircraft flying worldwide, and the
results of those inspections must be disclosed. Air crashes that were
denied investigation of the wiring/cable should be reopened -- such as
ValuJet.
In light of the probable
cause of TWA 800, and catastrophic wiring failure on Swissair 111,
wiring and cable need to be elevated to a Center of Excellence status,
with continual monitoring and surveillance, as well as an action plan
for replacement of defective wiring.
All commercial
airports should be equipped with Doppler radar.
All "black
box" information such as the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and
Flight Data Recorders (FDR) from air crashes should be equally
available to family members and their attorneys.
Security
The FAA must enforce
its own minimal security regulations. The FAA should not allow the
airlines and shippers to put anything and everything into a cargo hold
with no security checks. Cash payments for anonymous parcel shipping
and unidentified couriers and baggage handlers must cease. Every
person at an airport should be required to go through airport
security.
Survivability
All new aircraft
certification should be subject to an actual 90-second evacuation with
50% of the emergency exits disabled. The new FAA
"policy" of approving a paper proposal in place of an actual
evacuation is an outrage.
Passengers who sit in
emergency exit row seats should be denied alcoholic beverages.
Support of Victims'
Families
Successfully trained
support personnel should be utilized to help the families short term
and long term after an air disaster. Survivors and those who
have lost loved ones in an aviation disaster provide a cadre of
"wounded healers." NADA/F stands ready to offer support to
airline employees and volunteer personnel-to assist with airline
disaster training, and to help after an aviation disaster.
NADA/F family members share
a unique bond -- some lost loved ones over 50 years ago, others lost
loved ones more recently. The extended period of time for recovery,
accident investigation, and litigation, is unique to families of air
disasters, and the friendship, love and support we offer each other
truly help people survive years of grief and hardship.
Safety/Security
Recommendations to the NTSB
A more direct NTSB
"Most Wanted" Safety List is needed. There are
presently 48 "Open-Unacceptable Response" items; however the
"Most Wanted" list presently has 10 categories. We believe
that technical recommendations arrived at through scientific crash
investigation should be listed more specifically. Also, if the FAA has
acted on a NTSB recommendation, but has allowed 3 to 5 years of delay
time, the request should still be on the list. Safety delayed is still
safety denied.
The NTSB currently
lists four unsolved air crashes, including United 585, 3-3-91. On
March 24, 1999, after eight years, the NTSB publicly stated the
probable cause of UA585 was a 737 rudder reversal. The Final Report of
UA585 must be re-issued to finally reflect the truth!
Considering the
increase in NTSB time spent on fatal accident investigations it is
time to have all NTSB records subject to Freedom of Information.
The RAND Commission
report of the NTSB "party process" used for air crash
investigations was completed April, 1998. The report should be public
record as soon as possible.
Additional
Safety/Safety Recommendations to the FAA
We recommend that all
NADA/F recommendations for appointment to FAA ARAC (Aviation
Rule-making Advisory) Committees, should be approved, and public money
should be allocated for travel expenses for those who are representing
the passengers. The public should have representation equal to
the industry.
The FAA Administrator
and management should meet once a month with NADA/F.
The FAA should
expedite the date requirement for upgraded flight data recorders, and
release the status of airlines that have complied with the upgraded
FDR directive.
The FAA should
expedite the date for required installation of smoke/fire suppression
equipment in commercial passenger aircraft.
The FAA should fully
comply with all Freedom of Information requests in a timely manner,
and stop pushing for legislation that prevents the disclosure of
important air safety information.
Undercapitalized
upstart airlines relying on antiquated leased equipment and lowest
cost personnel should be denied Certification to Operate.
Legislation Needed
All Presidential
candidates for 2000 should disclose their position on the FAA's lack
of compliance with NTSB recommendations, and present their program for
improved air safety.
· The 1920
"Death on the High Seas Act" (DOHSA), must be overturned by
Congress. This 1920 law was passed to help maritime widows; it
should not be misused by the airline industry to avoid their own
corporate responsibility.
· The "Ron Brown Tort Equality" bill, must become law
to end discrimination against federal employees and other Americans.
· The "Single Standard Aviation" bill, must be passed
so that federal government and military personnel traveling by air
would have equipment meeting the same safety standards as commercial
passengers.
These laws would provide
international air travelers and Americans traveling in the U.S. and
overseas improved protection.
Congress should
allocate a $5 Per Person User Protection Fee to be set aside from
transportation taxes, to be administered with independent oversight.
A consumer advocate such as Ralph Nader, or someone we trust like Mary
Fackler Schiavo, could best represent the passengers in making
safety-first decisions with tax money from airline tickets. We need a
Public Protector to ensure greater safety for the passengers and crew.
