FAA Establishes National Airspace System Safety Review Team
On April 26th, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the establishment of an independent aviation safety review team that will be tasked with developing recommendations to enhance safety within the National Airspace System (NAS). This announcement comes on the heels of March's FAA Safety Summit, which brought together administration officials and industry stakeholders to examine recent incidents that the industry has seen throughout the NAS, including close calls on runways and other near miss events.
The National Airspace System Safety Review Team members will include:
• Former NASA Administrator and astronaut Charles Bolden Jr.
• Former Air Line Pilots Association, International President Captain Tim Canoll
• Former National Air Traffic Controllers Association Executive Vice President Patricia Gilbert
• Former FAA Chief Operating Officer David Frizzle
• Former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta
• Former NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt
The Safety Review Team will begin its initial assessment in May and will complete their work in October 2023. At that time, the review team will present safety recommendations on how the agency can advance aviation safety. While FAA did not include any airport-specific experts on the panel, we will make every effort to engage with the new safety team to ensure that members understand the airports' concerns and perspectives.
Background. Over the past several months, FAA and the aviation industry have witnessed a series of near fatal accidents and runway incursions across the NAS, which have led to questions from lawmakers and the public. In February, Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen issued a Call to Action, announcing that the agency would (1) host a Safety Summit to examine what additional actions the community needs to take to maintain the longstanding safety record, and (b) form a safety review team to examine the 'U.S. aerospace system's structure, culture, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts.' You can read the Call to Action here.
Safety Summit and Follow-Up Actions. In March, FAA held a Safety Summit in the Washington, D.C., area that featured participation by DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, Acting Administrator Nolen, former NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt, and a line-up of industry officials including AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli. During the opening plenary session, Hauptli pointed to ongoing workforce challenges and the importance of training to help mitigate potential safety risks in the NAS. CSPAN has an index of remarks by each participant in the plenary. In the afternoon, attendees participated in breakout sessions, which included a specific focus on how to improve safety of airport and ground operations.
Since the summit, FAA has pointed to additional actions that the agency has taken to enhance and prioritize safety, including hosting a Part 139 Safety Management System (SMS) for Airports Industry Day; issuing a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) to airlines, pilots and others reminding them to remain vigilant while operating in all phases of flight; and ensuring that air traffic control supervisors devote their full attention to the operating environment during peak traffic periods.
Lawmaker Questioning on Aviation Safety. The announcement of the safety team came on the same day that Acting Administrator Nolen testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation on the administration's Fiscal Year 2024 budget request. During the hearing, Nolen was questioned about some of the recent safety incidents that have occurred. He emphasized that the agency's goal is to get to the point 'where the tolerance for near misses is zero,' and outlined the actions that FAA has taken in recent months to try and address the rise in near misses and runway incursions throughout the NAS. The focus on aviation safety in Washington is expected to continue as the House and Senate march forward with efforts to draft FAA reauthorization legislation.
