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FAA wants no pilot distractions
Top Stories | Updated 6h 7m ago
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
Federal aviation regulators are prodding airlines today to take concrete steps that would ensure their pilots are not distracted by laptops, cellphones and extraneous conversations.
Spurred by a series of recent accidents and incidents in which pilots' attention was diverted from flying, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will issue a notice to carriers today calling for better internal rules and training on the issue. The notice was obtained by USA TODAY.
Cockpit distractions and lack of professionalism have become top aviation safety issues in the past year. Two Northwest Airlines pilots flew 150 miles past their destination in October because they were working on laptops. A crash on Feb. 12, 2009, near Buffalo, which killed 50 people, was triggered in part because pilots were chatting and not paying attention to flight conditions, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded.
"There is no room for distraction when your job is to get people safely to their destinations," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says in a statement to be issued today. "The traveling public expects professional pilots to focus on flying and on safety at all times."
The FAA action follows recommendations by the NTSB to become more aggressive in attacking the problem.
In February, the NTSB classified the FAA's response to the issue as "unacceptable" because of delays in acting. The NTSB made the first of several calls for tighter cockpit discipline in 2007.
The NTSB will hold a three-day public forum on improving professionalism among pilots and air-traffic controllers starting May 18.
Airlines agree that cockpit distractions need to be addressed and already have begun examining their policies and procedures, says David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association.
In its notice to airlines today, the FAA emphasizes that carriers should take specific steps to eliminate cockpit distractions.
The agency says airlines should create a "safety culture" — a top-to-bottom expectation that safety will be taken seriously — that emphasizes eliminating distractions. The FAA calls on carriers to set more specific rules and improve training.
The FAA's notice to airlines is voluntary, but failure to follow its suggestions can lead to additional inspections and scrutiny of records on safety efforts.
The explosion in the use of cellphones and other personal electronic devices has had a troubling impact on aviation and other modes of transportation, the NTSB has found.
The co-pilot of the regional flight that crashed near Buffalo had used her phone to send text messages while the plane taxied toward the runway in Newark before the flight, investigators found.
The messages played no role in the accident, but investigators said they were part of a disturbing trend.
Top Stories | Updated 6h 7m ago
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
Federal aviation regulators are prodding airlines today to take concrete steps that would ensure their pilots are not distracted by laptops, cellphones and extraneous conversations.
Spurred by a series of recent accidents and incidents in which pilots' attention was diverted from flying, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will issue a notice to carriers today calling for better internal rules and training on the issue. The notice was obtained by USA TODAY.
Cockpit distractions and lack of professionalism have become top aviation safety issues in the past year. Two Northwest Airlines pilots flew 150 miles past their destination in October because they were working on laptops. A crash on Feb. 12, 2009, near Buffalo, which killed 50 people, was triggered in part because pilots were chatting and not paying attention to flight conditions, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded.
"There is no room for distraction when your job is to get people safely to their destinations," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says in a statement to be issued today. "The traveling public expects professional pilots to focus on flying and on safety at all times."
The FAA action follows recommendations by the NTSB to become more aggressive in attacking the problem.
In February, the NTSB classified the FAA's response to the issue as "unacceptable" because of delays in acting. The NTSB made the first of several calls for tighter cockpit discipline in 2007.
The NTSB will hold a three-day public forum on improving professionalism among pilots and air-traffic controllers starting May 18.
Airlines agree that cockpit distractions need to be addressed and already have begun examining their policies and procedures, says David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association.
In its notice to airlines today, the FAA emphasizes that carriers should take specific steps to eliminate cockpit distractions.
The agency says airlines should create a "safety culture" — a top-to-bottom expectation that safety will be taken seriously — that emphasizes eliminating distractions. The FAA calls on carriers to set more specific rules and improve training.
The FAA's notice to airlines is voluntary, but failure to follow its suggestions can lead to additional inspections and scrutiny of records on safety efforts.
The explosion in the use of cellphones and other personal electronic devices has had a troubling impact on aviation and other modes of transportation, the NTSB has found.
The co-pilot of the regional flight that crashed near Buffalo had used her phone to send text messages while the plane taxied toward the runway in Newark before the flight, investigators found.
The messages played no role in the accident, but investigators said they were part of a disturbing trend.
