NTSB calls for enhanced safety oversight for sightseeing aircraft
The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for stricter safety rules for tourist sightseeing flights by helicopter and small plane.
There is a big gap between safety requirements for small aerial tour operators and those for commercial airlines which need to be narrowed.
"Basically, if you’re paying money for an airplane seat, there should be an equivalent level of safety," NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said.
The agency cited the recent mid-air crash of two tourist sightseeing float planes in Alaska which killed 11.
While the cause of tis is still under investigation, the NTSB is urging much stricter safety guidelines.
"I’m not saying that we have to have the exact same regulations, but we do want an equivalent level of safety so that once somebody pays money to fly on an airplane, that they have confidence that there’s a high level of safety," Sumwalt added."
While many are well funded and run well, there are many so-called Part 135 charter operators that are ‘running on a shoestring’ and have to cut corners to survive.
"There’s an airplane that’s all pretty and painted up, and it looks impressive, but when you peel back the layers there, you find out that there were a lot of things that that organization didn’t do," Sumwalt said, citing a previous 2015 crash in Akron, Ohio.
During its crash investigations and subsequent accident reports, the NTSB makes recommendations but has no influence over policy making or rule changes.
The Air Charter Safety Foundation, a nonprofit aviation safety organization, acknowledged that there is a big disparity in safety standards between different Part 135 operators, and much of it falls down to self-regulation.
"It’s all about due diligence before you purchase your flight. Ask some questions," said the group’s president, Bryan Burns.
"There is a wide range of operators out there who are doing minimal standards versus those who are exceeding not only FAA standards but the industry standards," he added.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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