jhill said:
Well, you would be wrong, we are doing it with life vest only.
I made that statement based on this Air Saftey Article from 1998:
Thirteen carriers were allowed to operate aircraft for extended overwater operations without approved emergency life rafts, locator transmitters and pyrotechnic signaling devices (flare guns), according to a July 16th Department of Transportation's Inspector General (IG) report on safety-related deviations and exemptions.
This comes as extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS) continue to receive a high safety focus industry-wide. And though deviations in safety equipment covered routes over the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico up to 162 nautical miles off-shore, none of the 13 carriers provided an equivalent level of safety, the IG said. Nor could they demonstrate adherence to the required on-board safety equipment.
FAA associate administrator for regulation & certification, Guy Gardner, agreed with the IG's report.
In discussions with the IG, his office took action to void the deviations.
The IG investigated 52 permanent safety-related deviations and exemptions dating back to 1973 (out of 483 that were granted) and a total of 921 temporary exemptions granted between October, 1992 through March, 1996. In many cases, the IG found the FAA's actions were reasonable and adequately documented. However, application of policy was inconsistent.
The FAA said deviations and exemptions, are granted all the time. "The burden of proof is on the individual carrier to demonstrate that they maintain a safe operation," said FAA spokeswoman Kathryn Creedy. "The criteria that the carrier must meet to request a deviation or an exemption is spelled out in the flight inspector's handbook."
The IG also charged the FAA with having no system for centrally tracking exemptions and deviations. While the authority is given by the four aircraft certification directorates, it is left to the individual FAA field offices to issue the actual exemption(s). For instance, an inspector in one part of the country has no way of knowing whether or not a deviation was granted to a carrier in another part of the country. The situation creates the loophole that the IG would like to see sealed.
Similarly, while petitions for exemptions are listed in the Federal Register and are recorded in the FAA's Automated Exemptions System, petitions for deviations are not included in either the Register or any central database. It is that lack of consistency that has the IG taking a closer look. "The field office takes the application, then it is reviewed by headquarters. When the determination is made at headquarters, then the field office issues the exemption or deviation," Creedy explained. >> DOT IG, tel. 202/366-1992, FAA, tel. 202/267-8521 <<
Inconsistent Application of Policy
The rule:
FAR 121.339 states: ...no person may operate an airplane in extended overwater operations without...life rafts...to accommodate the occupants...At least one pyrotechnic signaling device for each life raft...An approved survival type emergency locator transmitter...
What the IG found:
The FAA authorized 13 commercial air carriers to operate aircraft on extended overwater operations (up to 162 miles off shore) without required life rafts, pyrotechnic signaling devices, and an emergency locator transmitter.
However, none of the 13 carriers provided equivalent levels of safety.
The deviation covered routes over the Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
None of the 13 carriers was able to demonstrate that search and rescue availability mitigated the safety rule.
Although granting the deviation discussed above,
FAA denied requests for deviations from other carriers for identical aircraft, operating identical routes. Source: DOT Inspector General Audit Report, AV-1998-171, "Deviations & Exemptions to Safety-Related Regulations", July 16, 1998
Congrats, Southwest must have some influence over their POI!
