Most Wanted List

The NTSB plays a vital role in conducting investigations into aviation accidents and making meaningful recommendations to improve safety, unfortunately it often takes years before the FAA takes notice. Just recently, the NTSB released their annual most wanted list list that identifies the transportation safety issues that will become the biggest priority in the upcoming year. Specifically, two crucial aviation safety issues are addressed on this list. Addressing the unique characteristics of helicopter operations and identifying and communicating hazardous weather in the general aviation community have become big priorities for the NTSB.

Addressing the unique characteristics of helicopter operations is an area long overdue to be on the NTSB's most wanted list. Due to the often urgent and life-saving nature of many helicopter operations, inadvertent encounters with dangerous weather and unfamiliar landscapes have led to an unacceptably high number of helicopter accidents. A staggering 1470 accidents have occurred in the last 10 years and 477 people have lost their lives.  There are many steps that can be taken to improve the safety across the board of helicopter operations.  Implementation of safety management systems that emphasize risk management and maintenance quality will help organizations identify and assess hazards.  Improving the quality of life and work environment of maintenance personnel will also help reduce the risks of accidents. All operators should have flight risk evaluation programs to help identify when an unacceptable level of risk exists for a specific operation. Additionally, specific training for off airport landscapes and inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions would serve as an improvement.

Although, without a doubt, there are several other aviation safety issues within the industry, I feel that the NTSB has accurately identified the top two concerns. Accidents involving helicopters, and general aviation accidents, occur at a much higher rate than those experienced by part 121 and 135 operators. Even though safety concerns specifically involving commercial passenger operations have the potential to result in a greater number of fatalities, the facts are that more people are dying in general aviation and helicopter accidents. In general aviation, an accident rate of 6.51 per 100,000 flight hours is nearly 30 times that of part 121 operators. Many of these accidents are occurring as a result of unintentional flight into IMC.  Improving in standardizing the way that weather information is disseminated amongst general aviation pilots will considerably improve safety. Many aircraft are equipped with some type of on board weather capability, however there is such a wide range of capabilities that standardization is needed. Additionally, the weather information available to air traffic controllers must be improved and training increased so that they can assist in helping pilots determine when hazardous weather conditions exist during the flight. These two issues are rightfully on the list because they are amongst the leading causes of fatality in the aviation industry.

The aviation industry is ever evolving and many new jobs are being created as a result. Each of the two safety issues discussed as part have the potential to lead to job creation in the future. A large opportunity exists to train helicopter pilots so that they are more comfortable in marginal weather and more prepared to land in unfamiliar areas. Additionally, a large number of consultants will be needed to create and implement safety management systems for many of the helicopter operators. Regarding general aviation weather concerns, career opportunities will exist in the development of in-flight weather technologies that are user-friendly, up-to-date, and widely available. Advocates will be needed to promote the acceptance of these new technologies within the general aviation industry. Experts will also be needed to train air traffic controllers.

The NTSB identified two major safety concerns within the aviation industry. Although, several other aviation concerns exist, we must continue to make small and concentrated safety improvements in order for long-term benefits to result.

Wrong Airport Epidemic

After the recent headlines about two large transport category aircraft unintentionally landing at the wrong airport, it may seem as if this issue has only recently become a problem. However, there are several documented occurrences of transport airplanes landing at the wrong airport. See a full list here. A scenario that I can attest to occurred back in 2004 when a Shuttle America Saab 340 destine for University Park Airport in State College, PA mistakenly landed at Midstate Regional Airport in Philipsburg PA.  In this circumstance, there were eight people aboard the aircraft and the runway at Midstate regional airport was sufficiently long for the Saab 340 to safely take off and land, therefore averting disaster.

 Earlier this summer, I made a stop at the University Park Airport on my way to White Plains, NY. From my observations, there are several factors that could have led to this mistake.  The area where this incident happened is primarily surrounded by a large concentration of forests that lack in well-defined landmarks. Additionally, the unique placement of both of these airports in relation to the surrounding terrain can cause confusion. Midstate Regional Airport is located on the top of a bluff whereas the University Park Airport is located in the valley below. During my trip, I remember thinking for a brief period of time that the Midstate Airport was in fact University Park Airport. I remember being suspicious due to the distance I had expected to cover being less than what I had actually covered at that point. Eventually, by consulting my sectional chart and avionics equipment, I was able to determine that I was in fact approaching Midstate instead of University Park. A primary cause of confusion was the similar orientation of the airport runways and similar size of the airport. In a larger and faster aircraft, pilots would not have ample time to consult sectional charts and cross check with the visual references they see outside as they fly.  Additionally, the altitude at which larger aircraft fly prevents intricate landmarks from helping positively identify the correct airport.

            Landing and the wrong airport poses several hazards and operational issues. Safety is greatly jeopardized due to the potential of landing at an airport with an inadequately long runway. Runways that are too short can cause the aircraft overrun the runway resulting in passenger and civilian harm.  Repositioning passengers after such an event causes operational headaches. Additionally, getting approval to depart from an airport that is not normally served by the company requires research and planning to ensure that the movement of the aircraft can be done safely. Finally, large passenger aircraft in the traffic pattern for an airport that the pilots are unaware that they are landing at causes safety issues for other aircraft in the area.

Personally, I believe that there are steps that can be taken in order to minimize the probabilities of landing at the wrong airport. Research can be done to identify airports in close proximity that have similar runway orientations and other factors that could cause an incorrect identification of that airport. Notations can then be made on sectional charts and in GPS databases on board the aircraft to alert pilots of this potential. Another step that can be taken is providing a means of positive identification for any airport that is served by scheduled passenger aircraft. Placing a marking on the runway, a special light, or marking at some point on the approach path would allow pilots to positively identify that they are landing at an airport with scheduled service. Finally, including confirmation of the correct airport into checklists might help as well. 

In light of the recent Southwest 737 landing at the wrong airport in Missouri, airline management has decided to suspend the two pilots involved in this incident. As a pilot myself, I agree that a temporary suspension is necessary, however I don't believe that it should lead to the termination of their jobs. This opinion is largely dependent on the cockpit voice recorder to determine what caused the confusion and if there was any unnecessary behavior in the cockpit. If the pilots were legitimately confused and had a valid line of thinking causing them to land at the wrong airport, I don't think that it is necessary for them to be fired. Remedial training should be provided and the aviation community should focus on ways of preventing future occurrences such as this one.

Landing at the wrong airport could potentially become a catastrophic event. Therefore, I feel that this is an issue that needs to be brought to the front within the aviation community and corrected before an unfortunate result was to occur.

Without Further Ado...Let's Get Started!

Hello Fellow Aviation Enthusiasts!

My name is Ryan Todd and I have had a passion for aviation my entire life.  I was born and raised in Van Wert, Ohio and am a 2011 graduate of Van Wert High School. When asked as a child what I wanted to do when I grew up, the answer was always to become a pilot.  Being fortunate enough to know what I wanted to do, I began taking flight lessons at my local airport (VNW) at the age of 16.  After some good advice from my flight instructor and a lot of convincing of my parents, I entered into aircraft ownership at the age of 17 by purchasing a 1964 Cessna 150.  During high school, I ran my own aircraft detailing business and also served as a manager at Taco Bell to help offset the cost of aircraft ownership. I completed my first solo flight in February of 2010 and passed my private pilot check ride in July of that year.

Currently, I am in my final semester at Eastern Michigan University where I study aviation flight technology. During my time at Eastern Michigan, I have completed two once-in-a-lifetime internships. In the summer of 2012, I was a part of the JetBlue Airways College Crew internship program. I spent the summer living in New York City and working in the Safety Department.  More specifically, I helped manage safety data and assisted in the redesign of numerous crewmember safety reporting forms.  During the summer of 2013, I was a part of Cessna Aircraft Company’s Discover Flying Challenge. I was one of six pilot interns tasked with flying Cessna Skyhawks across the United States in order to generate heightened interest in pilot training.  Additionally, we were responsible for sharing our journeys via social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Both of these internships have opened my eyes to the world of opportunities that exist within the aviation industry.

Today, I hold my commercial multi-engine and single-engine ratings and just recently received my airplane single-engine flight instructor certificate.  After graduation, I plan to flight instruct for the Eastern Michigan University Aviation Program until accumulating the required hours necessary to fulfill my childhood dream of flying jets professionally.

As a result of my career aspirations and experiences, I am very interested in numerous aspects of the aviation industry; particularly collegiate aviation, regional airlines, the effects of regulatory changes, and general aviation.  Through this blog, I hope to explore a number of industry topics while creating a forum in which all aviation enthusiasts can discuss their viewpoints and share knowledge on each of these issues.  I look forward to lively discussions and to exploring many pertinent topics in the future!