Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 11, 1995 TAG: 9501110053
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Crashes that claimed 264 lives last year have shaken public confidence, Pena told a gathering of 1,000 government and industry officials at the conclusion of a two-day flight safety conference.
Within 30 days, Pena promised, his department will issue a detailed plan, with deadlines, for acting on the most important of some 500 safety issues discussed at the meeting.
He also called on the nation's airlines to join planned Federal Aviation Administration safety audits of their operations and to commit to a timetable for inspections.
``We must commit ourselves to a new sense of urgency ... to quickly turn words into action,'' Pena told conference delegates.
He told the delegates his department will speed up efforts to get new technology into use and will continue working to bring safety standards for commuter airlines up to the same level as larger carriers.
In return, Pena called on airlines to establish independent safety departments reporting directly to top management and to develop individual quality assurance programs.
``The bottom line is elevating the margins of safety, to anticipate rather than react,'' Pena said.
Pena and FAA Administrator David R. Hinson did not specify which of the many safety issues discussed at the session would be addressed first.
Among the recommendations made at the session were:
Improve technology to detect dangerous ice accumulations on aircraft, a problem suspected in the fatal October crash in Roselawn, Ind.
Establish central de-icing facilities to serve planes waiting for takeoff at the end of airport runways.
Research ice-rejecting coatings and automatic wing de-icing systems.
Improve crew training, including methods to recognize and deal with fatigue.
Set new minimum standards for mechanic training, including tightened maintenance and inspection procedures.
Eliminate maintenance delays from the airlines' on-time performance reports, to reduce the pressure to cut corners.
Require commercial pilots to pass a spoken English test.
Require flight simulators to be the primary method of pilot training.
Develop a lexicon of standard terms to help improve communications between pilots and air-traffic controllers.
Require improved air crew training in weather hazards, and establish a senior level office at the Federal Aviation Administration to coordinate weather-related activities.
Standardize controls and displays in aircraft cockpits.
by CNB