Air Traffic Control Safety Oversight

Air traffic control safety oversight: hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, first session, May 24, 2011.

Air traffic control safety oversight: hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, first session, May 24, 2011.

The Department of Transportation Inspector General testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security about Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight and management of air traffic operations. The Inspector General identified four areas where FAA faces particular challenges: (1) identifying and addressing the causes of operational errors, (2) mitigating controller fatigue risks, (3) adequately staffing the controller workforce, and (4) training new controllers. FAA statistics show a recent significant increase in operational errors by controllers; however, the causes of this reported increase remain unclear. FAA has also not yet fully implemented recommendations to identify potential factors that may contribute to controller fatigue and mitigate that risk.

To improve aviation safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to have in place the initial capabilities of a risk-based approach to safety oversight, known as a safety management system (SMS), by the end of fiscal year 2010. FAA is also implementing new procedures and technologies to enhance the safety, capacity, and efficiency of the national airspace system. Data are central to SMS and FAA's ability to test the impact of these changes on safety. This report addresses FAA's: (1) current and planned use of data to oversee aviation safety; (2) access to data for monitoring aviation safety and the safety performance of various industry sectors; and (3) efforts to help ensure data quality. Charts and tables.