FAA seeking to curtail bird-strike data
Apparently, the Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t think very highly of the public.
That’s the impression I get after seeing this story in USA Today about the FAA wanting to stop the release of data on bird strikes and aircraft.
From the FAA’s justification, published in the Federal Register:
The complexity of the information warrants care with its
interpretation; releasing this information without benefit of proper
analysis would not only produce an inaccurate perception of the
individual airports and airlines but also inaccurate and inappropriate
comparisons between airports/airlines. Requests for data within the FAA
National Wildlife Strike Database have typically been for specific data
fields, individual airports or detailed portions of the database.
Responses from the FAA have addressed each request individually and
adequately. Airports voluntarily report bird strike data to understand
their wildlife hazards better and to streamline allocating wildlife
mitigation funding. Inaccurate portrayals of airports and airlines
could have a negative impact on their participation in reporting bird
strikes. It is the willingness of airports to participate, to better
understand, and to better address their unique set of wildlife hazards
that highlights why voluntary reporting works.
[Translation: "This is complex stuff, and the general public is too stupid to figure it out. Also, we're afraid aviation professionals will be less likely to report wildlife strikes if they know the information will be released."]
As the former head of the National Transportation Safety Board, James Hall, told the Associated Press:
To have the government actually chill public access to safety information is a step backward. Public awareness is an essential part of any strong safety program.
The FAA proposal comes on the heels of the crash-landing of US Airways Flight 1549, which landed in New York’s Hudson River in January after striking a flock of geese. The plane’s captain, Chesley Sullenberger, was lauded as a hero worldwide for his quick action in the accident, which resulted in no injuries or deaths.
Here in Oklahoma, we used the data, the National Wildlife Strike Database, to report on a deadly small plane crash last year in Oklahoma City. Witnesses reported that the plane hit some birds as it was flying near Lake Overholser.
What’s interesting about the FAA’s proposal is that it appears to fly in the face of President Obama’s declaration of openness in the federal government. Maybe the FAA’s administrators haven’t received the memo yet?
Also, the FAA’s justification seems a little suspect, especially since other countries require this type of information to be collected. Also, the U.S. airline industry appears to be fine with mandatory collection of this information. From a recent safety newsletter:
Sandy Wright of the USDA reported that birdstrikes in the US continue to increase due to bird population increases, bird adaptation to urban living, quieter aircraft engines and other causes. There is currently no FAA metric for ascertaining if risk is being mitigated. It was felt that mandatory reporting of strikes would increase the usefulness of the database. During discussion Mont Smith of the Air Transport Association (ATA) stated that the ATA would no longer oppose mandatory reporting of birdstrikes. Later, in a separate conversation, Smith said that, regarding the implementation of mandatory reporting of birdstrikes, the ATA would be “…taking it to Washington and getting the job done”.
It’s not too late to comment on the FAA proposal, either. You have until April 20 to have your say.
–Paul
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Comments
Sallie,
I’m not familiar with that crash. I do know the military keeps its own set of data by service branch for wildlife-plane collisions, though. That data is not at issue with the FAA proposal, which covers only civilian aviation.
Paul
Thanks, Mike. I didn’t know the military also sent the actual carcasses/remains to the Smithsonian for identification, too.
To clarify my earlier comment, what I meant was that the military branches keep track of their own statistics. For example, here’s a link to the Air Force’s BASH page:
http://www.afsc.af.mil/organizations/bash/statistics.asp
Paul
AirSafe.com is one of the many aviation safety organizations against this change. Its founder Todd Curtis has shared a draft of his detailed comments to the FAA at http://www.airsafenews.com/2009/04/airsafecom-response-to-faa-bird-stike.html
[...] Washington Post reported earlier today that the federal Transportation Department has overruled an FAA plan to close access to its database about planes hitting [...]
The press, Tinker AFB nor the US Government expressed concern in regard to the crash of the AWACS flight that killed all aboard in Alaska in 1996. Why do you bother now with such uproar. Is it only civilian flights that are newsworthy?