Improving Aircraft Safety (1980) / Chapter Skim
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Introduction and Summary of Recommendations
Introduction and Summary of Recommendations
Pages 1-18
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From page 1... ...
It establishes, also in the regional offices, a system for reviewing the fabrication of airplanes and for issuing an Airworthiness Certificate for each one. It employs a system of inspections and surveillance, at district offices within the regions, of the flight operations and maintenance procedures of the airlines to make sure that each aircraft adheres to FAA standards of continuing airworthiness.
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From page 2... ...
Its total employment is 57,490, with the largest segment of the staff assigned to air traffic control. The airworthiness function, which is the subject of this report, employs approximately 3,000 people.2 Large jet transport aircraft are produced in the United States by three companies, Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed, 3 and operated in passenger service by some 30 U.S.
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From page 3... ...
, according to data from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is responsible for investigating and assigning "probable cause" to airplane accidents.6 The balance was attributed to the categories of human error in flight and the air traffic control system. Indeed, it is these three elements that contribute to the safety of aviation: (i)
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From page 4... ...
Yet with the vast number of flight operations that take place over the period of a year, even the unlikely event can occasionally occur. The achievement of our air transportation safety record has its basis in the development, over the past half century, of necessary strengths on the part of both the federal government and the air transport industry.
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From page 5... ...
The organizational and technical qualities that are desirable in rule-making personnel are similar to those required for making the critical governmental judgments in applying the rules and standards to the certification process for a new type of design. A1though there are many motivated and dedicated members of the FAA's airworthiness engineering staff, the regional structure of the agency, and other factors have contributed to a lesser technical competence in the FAA, especially in the offices where type certification is performed, than in the aircraft industry.
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From page 6... ...
The present system thus depends not only on the quality of the FAA staff but also on the assistance rendered by aircraft company employees called Designated Engineering Representatives (DERs) who review the design and design process to make sure, on behalf of the FAA, that all aspects of the regulations are complied with.
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From page 7... ...
recognizing the stake of the manufacturer in assuring a safe, serviceable, and reliable airplane, the company's designees perform traditional engineering review tasks for the FAA that would, by and large, be performed for the company as well; (iii) the designees perform their work under the supervision of the FAA staff; and (iv)
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From page 8... ...
Recognizing that this objective cannot be accomplished immediately, the committee concludes that, over time, the introduction of such ungraded milestone reviews would lend the high degree of technical quality in the FAA design review that is now lacking. The oom ~_ ~, _ ~ mitten thus recommends that the FAA adopt a Longer range objective to improve the type certification process through a series of milestone reviews of the design data to examine fundomentaZ Concepts and to assure oompZianoe with the fuZZ intent of safety regulations as ~eZZ as with their specific details.
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From page 9... ...
The simple fact is that during the long life of many fleets of aircraft, with millions of operations, one cannot guarantee that such damage will not occur. In the committee's judgment aircraft design principles should take into account the potential of structural damage caused by conditions outside the design environment, and should seek to prevent catastrophic effects resulting from such damage.
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From page 10... ...
At the same time, the dayto-day FAA activity also shifts from the manufacturing review staff of the regional office to air-carrier inspectors in the respective district offices, located near the principal airports of the country. The committee found wide differences in the practices of the FAA maintenance and avionics inspectors, especially with respect to the extent of direct observation of the aircraft, the level of their maintenance inspection activity, and their assertiveness.
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From page 11... ...
Because of the importance of maintenance to the continued airworthiness of the carriers' aircraft, the committee recommends that the FAA increase its surveiZZanoe of air Zine maintenonoe operations, making use of a team approach for frequent ond unonnounoed inspections, and encouraging its air sorrier inspectors to give higher priority to strategioaZZy seZeoted on-site visits and hardware observations, both ranZomZy during aZZ shifts, and for specific maintenonoe procedures that they deem espeoiaZZy oritioaZ or imp or ton t.
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From page 12... ...
have continuing know Ledge of an operator Is maintenance procedures by obtaining the manufaoturer's forma Z review prior to authorizing any significant deviation from the approved maintenance program. SimiZorZy, it recommends that the FAA assure that the manufacturer be made aware of an operator's oppZioation for a ~:uppZementaZ Type Certificate by obtaining the monufacturer's format review prior to authorizing any significant deviation from the approved design.
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From page 13... ...
The maintenance-induced damage to the aft pylon bulkhead on two DC-10 aircraft of Continental Airlines prior to the American Airlines Chicago accident, which was not required to be reported, illustrates this dilemma. To reduce this important source of confusion, the committee recommends thot the FAA require that any damage to the primary structure of an aircraft, regordZess of bow the dotage was housed, be reported.
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From page 14... ...
Accordingly, the committee recommends that the President select the administrator on, deputy administrator from a state of condidates recommended by the proposed aviation safety policy board or a simiZor group of experts and that strong consideration be given to reappointment when opproprzate.
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From page 15... ...
. The FAA needs an improved technical staff of greater competence, which can be attracted only if significant organizational changes are made.
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From page 16... ...
Indeed, the Federal Aviation Act states first that the administrator must find that the aircraft is of proper design, construction, and performance for safe operation and then that the aircraft also meets the minimum standards. In practice, this requirement of judgment means that to improve the present system will call for an exceptional capacity to imagine unlikely problems, and thus to anticipate the need for further rules and practices, before the unpredictable accident strikes.
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