Bureaucracy on the ground could kill you in the air
Examiner Editorial
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January 15, 2009
Federal Aviation Administration chief Robert Sturgell does have a lot on his plate: Enforcing new rules that regulate the amount of rest flight crews must have during extra-long trips, preparing for the mass retirement of aging air traffic controllers, and dealing with accusations from his own inspectors that FAA supervisors were getting too cozy with the airlines they’re supposed to regulate. But that doesn’t excuse his agency’s inaction on a critical safety matter brought to its attention more than two decades ago.
As documented by our special report today, “Gliding Toward Disaster,” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been after the FAA for more than 20 years to require all non-motorized gliders – or sailplanes, as they’re sometimes called – to be outfitted with transponders so that other pilots can detect their presence in shared airspace. The NTSB’s recommendations were based on accident investigations and a study that conclusively determined that the highest risk of mid-air collision occurs when pilots rely only on visual flight rules.
Since 2001, NTSB has investigated 51 incidents in which the lack of a transponder to alert air traffic controllers and other pilots to an aircraft’s presence – or the failure to use the transponder if it was installed – was a significant factor. Nine people were killed in the most serious of incidents. And just last year alone, 31 near in-flight collisions were reported to FAA. Since commercial airliners are often involved in these situations, hundreds more people were literally within seconds of becoming casualties. Since sleek, lightweight gliders are almost invisible to other aircraft while aloft, it is almost impossible for commercial and corporate jet pilots to see them in time. This is a major problem when you’re going more than 500 mph. Many pilots told the FAA in their near-miss reports that they had just seconds to avert a crash.
As our report noted, many glider pilots have voluntarily installed transponders on their aircraft. They are not the problem. The same cannot be said of those who resist doing so, often for perfectly understandable economic or technical reasons. Gliding is a recreational sport and people should be free to enjoy it with the least amount of government restrictions, but not at the expense of other people’s lives and safety. The issue here is simple: There is equipment readily available that the FAA knows will increase safety in the skies; the equipment has been repeatedly recommended by NTSB. The FAA’s duty is make sure all pilots are using it. To date, the FAA has failed to do so.
