The Federal Aviation Administration is cracking down on security protocols, citing “six serious runway incursions” that occurred since January.
These incidents have been mentioned at a security summit on March 15, a gathering that adopted a “call to action” issued by the appearing FAA administrator, “to ensure focus and attention on risks to the aviation system.”
“In recent months, a number of notable and high visibility events have occurred in the National Airspace System,” said the FAA alert issued on Wednesday.
“While the overall numbers do not reflect an increase in incidents and occurrences, the potential severity of these events is concerning.”
According to the alert, six critical runway incursions have occurred since January, together with an incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, “involving a taxiing aircraft narrowly avoiding a departing aircraft.”
The FAA additionally cited a touchdown plane that got here inside 100 toes of a departing plane” at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.
Earlier this month in Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch referred to as for a assessment of FAA flight operations and an replace on investigations into three current “troubling” incidents at Boston Logan International Airport.
On March 6, the correct wing of a United Airlines aircraft struck the tail of one other United aircraft, as each have been set for departure. Every week earlier, a JetBlue aircraft getting ready to land had a “close call” with a Learjet plane.
The latter incident occurred a day after a Massachusetts man allegedly attacked a flight attendant and tried to open an emergency exit door on a United flight headed to Boston.
The FAA’s security alert outlines particular steps it needs airways, pilots and others to take. This contains guaranteeing pilots and flight attendants have the identical understanding of what “sterile flight deck” means and the dangers related to extraneous communication throughout this time.
The FAA can be emphasizing the significance of plane consciousness in relation to taxiways, runways and different plane.
This contains reviewing previous security alerts for operators round excessive collision danger throughout runway crossing, runway incursion prevention actions, and flight crew strategies and procedures to reinforce taxi, pre-takeoff, and after touchdown security to cut back the chance of runway incursions.
Other directives are centered on encouraging workers to determine and report rising issues of safety, reinforcing adherence to FAA processes and procedures, and guaranteeing security administration methods are accounting for the excessive fee of change and churn within the business.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”