Quote of the Day
"The U.S. economy expanded at a faster clip than initially forecast in the third quarter, helped by more robust consumer spending and by stronger exports. The economy grew at a 2.5% annualized pace in the quarter, revised up from the initial estimate of 2.0%, the government said in its second estimate of quarterly gross domestic product. GDP growth was 1.7% during the second quarter.”
- Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, 11/23/2010
For Release: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Contact: David Gillies: 202-225-5661
AVIATION SUBCOMMITTEE LOOKS AT AIRCRAFT ICING
Washington - The House Aviation Subcommittee held a hearing this afternoon to examine aircraft icing. Ice can accumulate on an aircraft’s wing, tail and other areas and can threaten a pilot’s ability to control the aircraft. Existing FAA regulations require that an aircraft has no visible ice present on its wing in order to take off and to be certified to fly in icing conditions, if icing is present at the time of takeoff. The hearing follows an October 2009 Subcommittee roundtable on the issue, and examined the progress of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) action on the issue and the need for better certification and training procedures.
Following the 1994 crash of a regional airliner in Roselawn, Indiana, which took 68 lives, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) added in-flight icing to its “Most Wanted” List of transportation safety improvements in 1997. Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-IL) noted that while the FAA has issued over 100 icing-related airworthiness directives on 50 different aircraft models and adopted three final rules since that time, two critical NTSB recommendations from 1997 have not yet been addressed. Costello underscored the need for quick action by federal regulators on better aircraft certification criteria.
“Last week, the NTSB adopted its Most Wanted list for 2010, which includes four recommendations to reduce the hazards to aircraft flying in icing conditions. The NTSB said the FAA’s efforts in this area have been ‘unacceptably slow’; I agree. I understand the deliberative nature of FAA rulemakings, and that even more research may be needed in this area. However, 13 years have passed since the NTSB made recommendations to change the way aircraft are designed and approved for flight in icing conditions, and these recommendations are still open with unacceptable responses. The FAA must adopt a systematic and proactive approach to address the icing criteria for aircraft certification and testing.”
Subcommittee members heard testimony from Mr. John Hickey, Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, accompanied by Mr. John Duncan, Air Transportation Division Manager, Flight Standards Division, both from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director of Civil Aviation Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Captain Rory Kay, Executive Air Safety Committee Chairman, Air Line Pilots Association, International; and Mr. Gregory Principato, President, Airport Council International – North America.
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