New FAA Rules will Enhance Commuter Aircraft Safety

Skywest CRJ200ER N443SW (7638) arrives in San Francisco sporting the carriers "30th Anniversary" livery.

(Photo by Michael Carter)

The Federal Aviation Administration, following up on earlier pledges to enhance commuter airline safety, said Wednesday it will convene a panel to draft recommendations by Sept. 1 on new rules aimed at alleviating fatigue among pilots working for such carriers.

As part of its effort to ramp up commuter oversight, the FAA for the first time also has specifically instructed its inspectors review the performance of less-experienced pilots as well as those who flunked flight tests or require remedial training.In addition, federal regulators will "develop the authority and processes" to ensure that contracts between major airlines and their commuter partners mandate sharing of safety practices, according to FAA documents released Wednesday.

To better identify pilots with repeated lapses in various training settings or at different carriers, the agency called on airlines and unions to commit by July 31 to work together to produce more exhaustive background checks of pilots. The FAA called for an industry-wide policy to require that airlines obtain all FAA records pertaining to an individual pilot before hiring.


Currently airlines must obtain individual waivers from pilots to review their comprehensive training records The moves were prompted by fallout from the Feb. 12 crash of a commuter airliner outside Buffalo, N.Y., which killed 50 people.

The aviation rule making committee dealing with crew-scheduling and fatigue issues will consist of regulators, airline representatives and labor leaders. It is slated to be convened by mid-July, with an ambitious deadline of finishing its deliberations in roughly 60 days.

The multifaceted announcement comes less than two weeks after FAA chief Randy Babbitt presided over an industry-wide summit on commuter airline safety held in Washington. Mr. Babbitt emerged from the summit saying he hoped to move quickly on several fronts, including drafting tougher rules on pilot fatigue within months.

Congressional and public concerns about commuter airline safety have grown since the Feb. 12 crash of a Colgan Air Inc. plane while on approach to land at the airport in Buffalo. Investigators discovered that the captain of the turboprop, flying under contract to serve Inc., failed a number of flight-proficiency tests in his career. The crash also highlighted questions about adequate crew rest and pay for many commuter pilots.

"The FAA is making pilot fatigue a high priority and will work rapidly to develop and implement a new flight time and rest rule based on fatigue science and a review of international approaches to the issue," the agency said in a statement Wednesday. The FAA said it intends to hold at least 10 regional safety forums to firm up previous commitments by airlines, unions and other interest groups. The FAA also promised to work with lawmakers who are working on a variety of bills to enhance commuter-airline safety.

(The Wall Street Journel)