NTSB Seeks Better Pilot Skills Oversight 

By Frances Fiorino - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Feb 19, 2010

 The NTSB has identified improved oversight of pilot proficiency as one of the most important aviation safety measures requiring FAA action.

The safety board on Feb. 18 adopted the new addition to its 2010 “Most Wanted” list of aviation safety recommendations. at an annual meeting aimed at updating the list that was first issued in 1990.

Specifically, the NTSB is asking the FAA to require that airline employers improve pre-screening of pilot job applicants by evaluating prior flight check failures. In addition, it asks the agency to require airlines to provide remedial training programs and additional oversight for any flight crewmembers with a history of performance deficiencies.

The “pilot proficiency” action is aligned with several of the 25 recommendations the NTSB issued Feb. 2 at its final hearing on the Feb. 12, 2009, Colgan Air accident near Buffalo, N.Y.

The NTSB’s probe of the crash that killed 50 people uncovered a myriad of weaknesses in pilot training and hiring practices. The captain of Colgan Air Flight 3407, for example, had not divulged past check ride failures on his job application. And on Feb. 18, NTSB Member Robert Sumwalt noted that a Colgan executive testified at an earlier hearing that the airline did not know of a requirement to check into the pilot’s background for failed checkrides.

In response to the NTSB’s new “Most Wanted” recommendation, the FAA noted several actions it has already taken to address pilot proficiency.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has asked carriers to immediately begin asking pilot applicants to voluntarily disclose any notices of disapproval for evaluations. In addition, the FAA says it has verified that all scheduled air carriers have full or partial systems in place to address deficiencies in pilot performance.

(Photo Credit: AviationWeek)

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