The Transportation Safety Board says it will hold aviation authorities and agencies to account for ignoring its recommendations in a new proactive stance that will undoubtedly make some waves.
Chair Kathy Fox said in a statement this week that the agency is tired of being stonewalled by stakeholders and will shine a light on their foot dragging.
“No longer is it enough to point out a problem and wait for others to take notice,” said TSB Chair Kathy Fox. “In the next few days and weeks, we’ll meet with key stakeholders to push for concrete action, and then we’ll report publically on the results.”
The statement came as the board released its annual Watchlist for safety improvements in all modes of travel. It has three concerns for aviation.
The board said there is unacceptable risk of collisions on runways, not enough is being done to mitigate runway overruns and too many aircraft are continuing unstable approaches rather than going around.
Runway incursions are generally on the increase and there were 416 reported in 215, six of them serious. That compares to 386 in total and 10 considered serious in 2011.
Several recent TSB investigations have found a risk of collisions on runways, and the Board remains concerned that serious runway incursions will continue to occur until better defences are put in place.
The board also wants better runway surface reporting and enforcement of minimum overrun protection at major airports. It also wants some culture changes that remove the stigma (whether real or imaginary) attached to pilots going around if the sight picture isn’t right.