WASHINGTON, D.C. (WKBW) -- The U.S. Senate passed the FAA Reauthorization Bill Monday that will enact numerous safety regulations and address safety gaps in regional airline travel.
Many NTSB Safety Recommendations, like those issued after the Flight 3407 Investigation are typically ignored By FAA, according to a release from U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office.
Washington, DC – ( release ) The U.S. Senate today passed the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, including the crux of Senator Gillibrand’s Flight 3407 Memorial Act, which requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to report back to Congress on all new safety recommendations issues by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigative reports. Senator Gillibrand’s other priority, to require increased training hours for commercial pilots, was also included in the FAA legislation.
“Today, we took a major step forward to strengthen the safety of all airline passengers,” Senator Gillibrand said. “The voices of the families of victims were not only heard, but responded to. Time and time again, the FAA has failed to enhance training requirements and other safety measures. Ignoring safety recommendations puts innocent lives at risk. This legislation finally takes into account lessons of the past, changes the culture of inaction, and makes air travel safer for all of us.”
Senator Gillibrand’s proposal will bring accountability to the FAA by strengthening current reporting requirements to ensure to that NTSB safety recommendations – like the 25 new and 3 previous recommendations included in the NTSB’s February 2, 2010 final report from the Flight 3407 incident – are reviewed and responded to, not simply acknowledged that they been received with little more than a yes, no or maybe response.
The requirements of the FAA that Senator Gillibrand secured in the FAA Reauthorization Bill include the following:
· The Secretary of Transportation must send an annual report to Congress and the NTSB detailing:
o All recommendations that the Secretary has enacted or intends to enact
o Details on the procedures for adoption of recommendations or parts of recommendations
o Reasons for refusing to carry out all or part of recommendations
· The Secretary must include details on plans to enact recommendations that includes:
o A description of the recommendation
o A description on the procedures to enact all or part of a recommendation
o A timeline on enacting all or part of a recommendation
o If the timeline is not met, detailed explanation as to why all or part of a recommendation has not been enacted on the dates the Secretary lays out
For recommendations or parts of recommendations the Secretary refuses to enact the Secretary must:
o A description of the recommendation
o Detailed reasons the Secretary refuses to carry out all or part of a recommendations
In May 2009, after meeting with the families of the Flight 3407 crash near Buffalo, Senator Gillibrand asked that the NTSB ensure that needed changes in the airline system are not ignored. During the NTSB investigative hearings, families heard of the system wide failures – from training to crewmember fatigue – that led to the Flight 3407 crash. Senator Gillibrand wants to ensure that needed reforms and changes in the system are implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Also included in the legislation is a proposal that Senator Gillibrand worked to advance that will raise the minimum requirements for the hiring of commercial pilots. This proposal, based on legislation the Senator is an original cosponsor of, is endorsed by the Families of Flight 3407 and raises the minimum standard for new pilots from 250 hours to 800 hours. Apart from just more flight time experience, the new regulations would increase the quality of that training, not just the quantity. These new regulations require that pilots must demonstrate effective operation of aircraft in:
· Multi-pilot conditions
· Adverse weather conditions, including icing conditions, as was the case with Flight 3407
· High altitude operations
· Basic standards of cockpit professionalism and operations in part of the airline industry
In June 2009, Senator Gillibrand submitted questions from the family members of victims in the Flight 3407 crash near Buffalo about fundamental failures in our aviation system at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Aviation Safety & FAA Oversight. Senator Gillibrand wanted to ensure that their questions about a variety of safety issues were answered by Agency leadership. To that end, Senator Gillibrand asked family members to submit questions to her office, and in turn, Subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan agreed to submit them for the record, and were answered in writing.
The following release is from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer:
Today U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer released the statement below following Senate passage of a bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration. Included in the final bill was two critical safety measures authored by Schumer. The first will require the FAA to regulate that co-pilots have at least 800 hours of flying experience, in a variety of different flying conditions. The second provision will require online travel websites to notify customers, on the first page after they enter in a search for airline tickets, as to what carriers will be running their flight. Schumer has been working tirelessly with the families of the victims of flight 3407 to have these safety measured included in the final bill, and to ensure that the FAA reauthorization bill was debated on the floor of the Senate and not kicked down the road.
“Make no mistake about it, because of tonight’s actions and the year of work before it, people will be safer when they fly, and it is due to one factor – the strength, fortitude, and focus of the 3407 Families. There is no question that things would have turned out differently if they had not been such an important part of this process.”
The bill, born out of the tragedy of Flight 3407 which crashed in Clarence, NY in February of 2009, focuses on issues like pilot training and qualification, hiring practices and enact strict oversight on regional airlines.
Families of victims of Flight 3407 have been lobbying for the legislation for months. "Eyewitness News" will continue to follow the progress of this legislation, with reaction from lawmakers and the families of the victims of Flight 3407.
Twitter
Facebook