Legislation introduced by U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) last week seeks greater aviation safety through enforcement of a series of federal recommendations and new mandates for the aviation industry.
“For more than a hundred years, the United States has led the world in aviation and aviation safety. We have a duty to continue that leadership,” Cantwell said. “As aviation systems become increasingly complex and rely more on automation, our manufacturers and federal regulators need to remain on the cutting edge of innovation to keep travelers safe. This bill will help us do that. As we learn more from recent tragedies, I will continue to review the forthcoming recommendations from the investigating bodies and consider additional legislation to help maintain the industry’s strongest safety standards. The flying public deserve nothing less.”
The Aviation Automation and Human Factors Safety Act presses for the creation of a Center for Excellence focused on flight automation and human factors in commercial aircraft under the Federal Aviation Administration, along with the establishment of safety management systems for aircraft manufacturers. The legislation also builds off recommendations made previously by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (DOT IG), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), attempting to make them federal requirements.
The NTSB released seven safety recommendations in the wake of two 737 MAX crashes over the past year that have since grounded that particular fleet. DOT IG’s recommendations were made in 2016 to help airlines and manufacturers address the growing reliance on automation for commercial aircraft. In that regard, recommendations called for defining standards airlines could use to train and evaluation pilots in the use of automation, as well as the establishment of standards to guarantee pilots were getting enough training opportunities to maintain their manual flying skills. In 2013, ICAO recommended civil aviation authorities make aerospace manufacturers adopt safety management systems.
“As we continue to learn more from the multiple investigations into Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, clear opportunities to improve aviation safety and protect the traveling public have emerged,” Duckworth said. “We have a solemn obligation to the families of the 346 individuals who lost their lives to learn the lessons of these tragedies and prevent such events from ever occurring again.”