WHITE HOUSE COMMSSION ON AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY
THE DOT STATUS REPORT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

One year ago, the White House Commission on Aviation Safety issued its final report. The Department of Transportation (DOT), the Departments of Defense, Justice, State, and Treasury, the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and numerous other Federal agencies have made significant progress implementing the Commission’s recommendations. Together, with our partners in the aviation community, the federal government has worked to change the way we do business.

The federal government has established the Commission's proposed safety goal as our primary safety goal. We are committed to reduce the aviation fatal accident rate by a factor of five within 10 years (Recommendation 1.1). Both the DOT and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have adopted the goal in their new strategic plans, and incorporated means of measuring the progression of this goal in their performance agreements. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has set out a strategic goal of reducing the aviation fatal accident rate 80 percent by 2007. NASA has also set a longer-range goal of reducing the fatal accident rate by a factor of 10 within 20 years. FAA and NASA are tailoring their research and program plans to achieve these goals.

Aviation security has been established as a national security priority (Recommendation 3.1). The President has publicly recognized aviation as a major element of our strategy against terrorism, and the White House publication A National Security Strategy for a New Century includes aviation security as a critical element. The DOT Strategic Plan specifically recognizes aviation security as a key component in advancing the nation's vital security interests. The National Security Council has established a subgroup, headed by the DOT and including all agencies involved in aviation security, to address the White House Commission security recommendations specifically.

Over the past year, the following White House Commission recommendations have been completed.

• The Department has instituted into its rulemaking practices a policy to ensure that costs alone are not dispositive in the rulemaking process (Recommendation 1.5). The new policy recognizes the importance of both tangible and intangible benefits of rules, the need for risk analysis and examination of potential mitigation measures, and the need to identify and act on high-risk potential accident causes before accidents occur.

• The FAA is continuing to explore innovative means to accelerate the installation of advanced avionics in general aviation aircraft (Recommendation 2.3) as part of its Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE). The goal is to improve general aviation safety and improve access to the airspace system. FAA is revising two Advisory Circulars (AC) on certification, and a new RTCA task force is reviewing avionics certification processes. Flight 2000, FAA's program to demonstrate and validate new National Airspace System (NAS) capabilities, also will validate avionics, including low-cost weather data link systems for general aviation aircraft.

• In September 1997, the National Civil Aviation Review Commission (NCARC) released its Recommendations on ways for the users of the National Airspace System (NAS) to fund its development and operation (Recommendation 2.5). A new FAA reauthorization proposal will address those recommendations.

• The FAA identified and justified the frequency spectrum necessary for the transition to a modernized air traffic control system (Recommendation 2.6) and released its study in July 1997. The results will be incorporated into the next Federal Radionavigation Plan. FAA is continuing to address the sufficiency of the radio frequency spectrum to support the communication needs of the NAS.
  
• The Department of Transportation issued on February 12, 1997, a final rule to improve passenger manifests (Recommendation 3.26) by requiring more information on passenger manifests for flights to or from the United States.
  
• In June 1997 FAA submitted a proposed resolution, through the U.S. Representative, that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) begin a program to verify and improve compliance with international security standards (Recommendation 3.8). ICAO has not yet adopted the resolution, which the United States continues to support.
  
• DOT strengthened its working relationship with the Departments of Defense, Energy, and other Federal agencies and local authorities to assess the possible use of chemical and biological weapons as tools of terrorism (Recommendation 3.9). Interagency activities are ongoing.
  
• The Department of Defense (DOD) has established an interagency task force to assess the potential use of surface-to-air missiles against commercial aircraft (Recommendation 3.17.) DOD convened the task force and held its first meeting on May 12, 1997.
  
• FAA has given properly cleared airline and airport security personnel access to needed classified information (Recommendation 3.23). Industry officials, with appropriate security clearances, are now routinely provided classified information regarding threats.
  
• The FBI significantly increased the number of agents assigned to counter-terrorism investigations to improve intelligence and crisis response (Recommendation 3.27). Congress provided funding and FBI deployed 644 Special Agents, 620 support positions, and additional funding for investigations, intelligence gathering, forensic analysis, and crisis management.
  
• The FAA has been a full partner with the Department of State in providing anti-terrorism assistance through airport security training to countries where there are airports served by airlines flying to the United States (Recommendation 3.28). The Department of State and FAA provide airport security training through the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Training Program (ATAP.)
  
• The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) finalized a coordinated federal response plan to aviation disasters (Recommendation 4.1). The plan has been implemented in four aviation disasters, including the Korean Air 801 disaster in August 1997 at Guam.
  
• The Department of Transportation and the NTSB have implemented key provisions of the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 (Recommendation 4.3.) The Secretary’s Task Force on the Assistance to Families of Aviation Disasters was appointed in March 1997. It issued its report, containing 61 recommendations, to Congress and the Vice President in October 1997. The government and industry are implementing many of the Task Force's recommendations.

Beyond the fully completed recommendations, DOT, FAA, and other agencies have made substantial progress toward implementing virtually all the remaining recommendations. Highlights include:

• The new passenger screening system, Computer Assisted Passenger Screening (CAPS), was prototyped, tested with Northwest Airlines in 1997, and is being phased in by U.S. airlines in 1998. FAA tested passenger bag matching in 1997 and, on January 1, 1998, augmented the bag-matching program in conjunction with both manual screening and CAPS. After a thorough review, the Department of Justice concluded that the screening system did not violate the civil rights of any individuals.
  
• FAA hired 375 new safety inspectors and created a group to provide analytical support to field offices and target inspector oversight where it is most needed.
  
• Some 79 certified explosives detection systems and advanced technologies for screening of checked bags were purchased in 1997. Deployment will be completed in 1998. In addition, over 50 trace explosives detection devices were deployed in 1997, bringing the total in place from 78 to 128. About 365 more trace detection devices will be purchased and installed by the end of 1998.
  
• NASA has reprogrammed $500 million to invest in safety research over the next five years. They have identified a lead research center for safety research and established a program management staff throughout NASA Centers.

• The FAA and NASA are working as partners to develop a research plan to achieve the national aviation safety goal of an 80 percent reduction in aviation fatal accidents in 10 years. Both agencies will work with industry to create and install new safety technology as quickly as possible. This work will assist FAA in implementing many of the safety recommendations.

• Notices of Proposed Rulemakings (NPRM) have been drafted or issued on Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems in aircraft; improved standards for certification of foreign aircraft repair stations worldwide; amended criteria for certification of explosives detection systems to include detonators; computer assisted passenger screening; and expanded applicability of rules concerning criminal background checks and FBI fingerprint checks to all screeners and their supervisors. An Advanced NPRM was published on the certification of security screening companies.
  
• The FAA and NASA have developed a human factors plan to address the implementation of items included in three key reports: The National Human Factors Plan; the 1997 Aviation Safety Plan; and a report on flight deck human factors. In addition, FAA coordinated an FAA/NASA/DOD Aviation Safety Program, strengthened collaborative safety research efforts, identified new safety research requirements, and are executing a research plan for a flight deck automation study.
  
• The FAA and the National Academy of Sciences signed an agreement to create a panel for the Assessment of Technologies for Aviation Security.
  
• Cooperative research agreements and partnerships have been established to develop new security technology.
  
• The DOT is continuing its efforts to ensure the accuracy, availability, and reliability of the Global Positioning System (GPS) as part of a worldwide Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). This includes measures to provide secure uninterrupted civilian access to the GPS carrier; work with the Department of Defense on a plan for a second GPS frequency; and work with international organizations on how to detect and protect GNSS from potential interference. The DOT and the Departments of State and Commerce are encouraging worldwide use of GPS in international forums. FAA has agreements with 14 nations that ensure the use of U.S. GPS standards around the world.
  
• The Administration is supporting legislation introduced in Congress to ensure equitable treatment for families of passengers involved in international aviation disasters. It is also is supporting legislation to amend the Death on the High Seas Act which would enable the family members of those killed in international aviation disasters to obtain fair compensation.

This report summarizes accomplishments toward achieving the 57 recommendations in the White House Commission report and discusses some of the issues that will affect implementation in the future. The federal government and its partners in the aviation community are fully committed to continuing implementation in the years ahead.

Table of Contents || Section 1: Improving Aviation Safety