NTSB Looks to Tackle Safety Threats

The NTSB recently published an updated version of their Most Wanted List for year 2014. This list highlights issues the agency determines to be top priorities for 2014. Three of these priorities directly relate to aviation, Address Unique Characteristics of Helicopter Operations, Eliminate Distraction in Transportation and General Aviation: Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather. I will focus on the last two. The NTSB is positioning distractions in the transportation environment as a top priority in ensuring the traveling public remains safe. These distractions include personal devices, integrated technologies, and communications. The NTSB has seen the number of transportation accidents increase sharply, due to distracted operators. One such accident is described when a medical helicopter runs out of fuel because the pilot failed to notice the warning. His failure to be situationally aware was caused by text messaging, and resulted with the deaths of all those onboard as written in the full NTSB report. The NTSB is advocating for more education, stronger enforcement, and laws to try to eliminate distractions. Banning devices only does so much to prevent distractions, educating employees on the consequences of being distracted and what the government/company expects from them increases their diligence.

These three priorities presented by the NTSB are of significant importance to the aviation industry, however there are other topics that could be placed on the list. I do believe that managing distractions are a very important safety topic, whether it is a pilot flying an airplane or a ramp employee driving around a belt loader (I’ve witnessed a guy plow into a 737 radio antenna because he was on his phone). Distractions in the aviation industry can pose an immense safety risk and economic loss. Fatigue is another big issue, as it can create a distraction in the cockpit as well as on the ground. New regulations are now in effect which are designed to combat the threat of fatigue in the cockpit, so I understand why the NTSB wishes to focus on other priorities. The NTSBs other top priority, Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather, is well placed on the list. The amount of general aviation deaths attributed to hazardous weather is shockingly high and all actions (better training/dissemination of information and information reports) should be recommended/implemented to try to reduce the number of deaths.

To cope with increasing amounts of technology that could pose a distraction, I envision the need for additional training staff. This additional staff would work with employees getting them to understand how distractions create risk and how to better manage the relationship between man and machine. Recommendations by the NTSB to reduce the amount of general aviation deaths may lead to more weather advisory positions, people tasked with organizing reports and analyzing data for trends, training positions, public speakers/presenters, and researchers.