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Science
Friday > Archives
> 1998
> June
> June 12, 1998:
Hour One: Flight Safety
| The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered retraining sessions for 10,000 of the nation's 18,000 air traffic controllers following a mishap in which two jets reportedly passed within 20 feet of each other at New York's La Guardia Airport on April 3rd. |  | The incident, which could have been a major catastrophe, wasn't made public until last week - the same week that Air Force One disappeared from radar screens while passing through New York City's high volume airspace. While officials from the FAA and air traffic controllers agree that the President and his fellow passengers were not in danger, disappearance of planes from radar screens is definitely a problem - and not an uncommon one. Controllers told the Los Angeles Times this week that as many as 50 planes vanish from radar screens in the country's busiest areas every day.
So far, radar software glitches have only caused delays, not tragedies. And the FAA is acting to curb the number of human operational errors in control towers, which have increased by 20% in 1998. But despite programs set in place to improve flight safety, like the FAA's "Safer Skies" and "Turbulence Happens", the safety of the nation's passenger air system has once again been thrust into the spotlight.
Just how safe are the country's airways? While the United States boasts the safest air travel system in the world, it is not without its problems, according to critics. Are there too many planes in the sky? Are they too old? How good is airport security? Even firing up your laptop on the wrong flight at the wrong time can cause serious problems with the aircraft's navigation. Join us on the next Science Friday for a look at the state of safety in the skies. Buckle up!
Have you ever been on an airplane that had a near-miss?
Heavy turbulence? Here's what some listeners had to say...
Guests:
Terry Shell
Representative to the FAA's Air Traffic Requirements Organization
National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Washington, DC
Jim McKenna
Transport and Safety Editor
Aviation Week
Washington, DC
Ronald Morgan
Acting Associate Administrator
Air Traffic Services
Federal Aviation Administration
Washington, DC
Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
Aviation Safety Institute
Federal Aviation Administration
US Accident and Incident Databases
National Transportation Safety Board
National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Flight Safety Foundation
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