spitfire1940
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NTSB: Airlines should weigh passengers, bags
Fri Feb 27, 6:13 AM ET
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
The National Transportation Safety Board (news - web sites) recommended Thursday that federal regulators and the airlines develop ways to weigh passengers and their bags so that airplanes aren't overloaded when they take off. The recommendation came as the safety board concluded that the crash of Air Midwest Flight 5481 on Jan. 8, 2003, was caused by the combination of too much weight in the rear of the commuter aircraft and a maintenance mistake.
Flight 5481 crashed seconds after taking off from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. All 21 people on board the commuter flight were killed. (Related item: NTSB (news - web sites) presentations from today's hearing)
Following the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites) decided that the guidelines airlines used to estimate the weight of passengers and luggage had not kept up with growing size of passengers.
The FAA, which regulates airlines, subsequently added 10 pounds to the estimated weight of each adult passenger and five pounds to each checked bag.
The NTSB's investigators found, however, that the FAA estimates didn't go far enough to guarantee some flights were not overloaded.
Weight limits are more critical on smaller planes, such as the one that crashed in Charlotte, than on larger commercial aircraft. If a flight has several unusually heavy passengers or bags on board, it is possible to create a dangerous situation, the NTSB concluded.
All aircraft have generous margins that allow them to fly safely if they are overweight or the weight is out of balance. But if an engine should die or another emergency occurs, even a slightly overweight plane could become too difficult for pilots to control.
In unusually stern language, NTSB board members also criticized the airline, the firms that performed the maintenance on the flight and the FAA for the crash.
The crash of Flight 5481 was the deadliest commercial accident in the past two years.
"Each of us was personally disturbed" at the numerous mistakes and instances of poor oversight in the airline's maintenance program, NTSB Chairman Ellen Engleman-Connors said.
"There were a lot of mistakes made here," NTSB Vice Chairman Mark Rosenker said. "I don't mind calling it sloppy."
The NTSB, which can make recommendations but not aviation regulations, issued 21 safety recommendations, including:
The FAA and airlines need to make sweeping changes to ensure that mechanics do not improvise when they repair planes. The mechanics who made the mistake in repairing the Air Midwest plane ignored at least nine steps in the maintenance manual. They told investigators that was how they had always done such repairs.
The FAA should require that mechanics check to see that critical work has been done correctly. In the Air Midwest accident and two other cases on the same type of plane, mechanics said they hadn't bothered to check their work after it was done. A simple check would have prevented the accident, the NTSB said.
Fri Feb 27, 6:13 AM ET
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
The National Transportation Safety Board (news - web sites) recommended Thursday that federal regulators and the airlines develop ways to weigh passengers and their bags so that airplanes aren't overloaded when they take off. The recommendation came as the safety board concluded that the crash of Air Midwest Flight 5481 on Jan. 8, 2003, was caused by the combination of too much weight in the rear of the commuter aircraft and a maintenance mistake.
Flight 5481 crashed seconds after taking off from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. All 21 people on board the commuter flight were killed. (Related item: NTSB (news - web sites) presentations from today's hearing)
Following the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites) decided that the guidelines airlines used to estimate the weight of passengers and luggage had not kept up with growing size of passengers.
The FAA, which regulates airlines, subsequently added 10 pounds to the estimated weight of each adult passenger and five pounds to each checked bag.
The NTSB's investigators found, however, that the FAA estimates didn't go far enough to guarantee some flights were not overloaded.
Weight limits are more critical on smaller planes, such as the one that crashed in Charlotte, than on larger commercial aircraft. If a flight has several unusually heavy passengers or bags on board, it is possible to create a dangerous situation, the NTSB concluded.
All aircraft have generous margins that allow them to fly safely if they are overweight or the weight is out of balance. But if an engine should die or another emergency occurs, even a slightly overweight plane could become too difficult for pilots to control.
In unusually stern language, NTSB board members also criticized the airline, the firms that performed the maintenance on the flight and the FAA for the crash.
The crash of Flight 5481 was the deadliest commercial accident in the past two years.
"Each of us was personally disturbed" at the numerous mistakes and instances of poor oversight in the airline's maintenance program, NTSB Chairman Ellen Engleman-Connors said.
"There were a lot of mistakes made here," NTSB Vice Chairman Mark Rosenker said. "I don't mind calling it sloppy."
The NTSB, which can make recommendations but not aviation regulations, issued 21 safety recommendations, including:
The FAA and airlines need to make sweeping changes to ensure that mechanics do not improvise when they repair planes. The mechanics who made the mistake in repairing the Air Midwest plane ignored at least nine steps in the maintenance manual. They told investigators that was how they had always done such repairs.
The FAA should require that mechanics check to see that critical work has been done correctly. In the Air Midwest accident and two other cases on the same type of plane, mechanics said they hadn't bothered to check their work after it was done. A simple check would have prevented the accident, the NTSB said.
