DOT 22-09
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Contact:  Jill Zuckman
Tel:  (202) 365-3156

DOT Announces FAA Safety Actions Have Reduced Accidents

            The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced it has made steady and measurable increases in air safety that have made flying safer than ever before.  The work of DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resulted in a 65 percent reduction in the aviation fatal accident rate between 1997 and 2006. 

            Prior to the fatal accident near Buffalo this month, there had been no fatal commercial accidents for more than two years.  The rate of runway incursions also has fallen, as have the number of accidents caused by ice on aircraft.

            The FAA is committed to further reducing accidents related to icing in all parts of the aviation industry.  

            “The FAA has a fierce commitment to safety.  It continues to strive toward its goal of no accidents,” said Acting FAA Administrator Lynne Osmus. “The FAA is always looking to improve risks to the flying public by working to improve equipment, procedures, training and crew coordination.”

            In the area of aircraft icing, the FAA issued more than 100 safety directives mandating specific actions, training or procedures to help prevent accidents for more than 50 types of existing aircraft since a 1994 accident in Roselawn, Indiana.  The last fatal commercial airline accident linked to icing occurred in 1997. In the 10 years before that, 10 airline accidents – fatal and non-fatal – were blamed on icing. 

            The FAA has also worked on longer-term measures to improve the design of existing and future aircraft through rulemaking. An FAA rule issued in 2007 set new standards for performance and handling of commercial airplanes in icing conditions Rules under development will further strengthen aircraft ice detection systems and address specific types of icing.

            Osmus noted that aviation is a high-velocity, high-tech business that faces unique challenges, including the need to operate in many types of adverse weather.  Icing is only one of a number of weather challenges facing aviation, which also include turbulence, lightning, rain, snow, fog and other conditions.  The continued improvement in air safety in the face of these challenges is a tribute to the hard work and professionalism of both the FAA and the aviation industry, Osmus said.

            The FAA’s safety efforts also have reduced number of serious runway incursions by 63 percent from fiscal year 2000 through fiscal 2008. There were 67 serious incursions in 2000, including 34 involving commercial aircraft, compared to 25 in 2008, with only nine involving commercial aircraft.  Between October and December 2008 there were no serious runway incursions, an all-time low for a three-month period, and only one in January 2009.  The FAA continues its efforts to further reduce runway accidents installing runway status lights at more than 20 airports by 2011 and considering the use of low-cost, commercially available ground radar systems at small and medium airports.  The FAA also has reached agreements with four U.S. airlines to fund in-cockpit runway safety systems in exchange for critical operational data.