NTSB calls for comprehensive air safety review in Alaska
The National Transportation Safety Board has called for a full safety review of the Alaska airline industry due to the state’s ‘unacceptable’ air accident rate.
The NTSB wants the Federal Aviation Administration to set up a committee to conduct a wide-ranging review of airline operations in the state.
"We need to marshal the resources of the FAA to tackle aviation safety in Alaska in a comprehensive way," NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said in a statement.
"The status quo is, frankly, unacceptable."
The aviation accident rate in Alaska was more than double the rate for the rest of the US from 2008 to 2017.
The fatal accident rate in the Alaska was 1.34 times higher than the national average, the NTSB said.
The latest accident occurred this month when a commuter plane crashed in Southwest Alaska killing five.
Safety officials are aware of the unique needs of Alaska aviation where small commuter planes are the norm which are vulnerable in extreme weather conditions.
However the accident rate is still worryingly high.
"We obviously use airplanes very differently. Up here it’s our pickup truck. Southeast Alaska has inclement weather conditions that obviously play a part in accidents," said Clint Johnson, head of the NTSB Alaska office.
A working group would look at a whole range of issues including aircraft maintenance, especially in Part 135 operations which covers charter flights, as well as pilot training, and managing weather risks.
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