Feds to release bird-strike database
Score one for openness in air safety data.
The Washington Post reported earlier today that the federal Transportation Department has overruled an FAA plan to close access to its database about planes hitting birds.
It looks like new Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood flexed his muscle, according to the Washington Post:
“I think all of this information ought to be made public, and I think that you’ll soon be reading about the fact that we’re going to, you know, make this information as public as anybody wants it,” LaHood said in an interview for The Washington Post’s “New Voices of Power” series. “The people should have access to this kind of information.
“The whole thing about the bird strike issue is it doesn’t really comport with the president’s idea of transparency,” the secretary said. “I mean, here they just released all of these CIA files regarding interrogation, and . . . the optic of us trying to tell people they can’t have information about birds flying around airports, I don’t think that really quite comports with the policies of the administration. . . . It’s something that somebody wanted to put out there to get a reaction. We got the reaction, and now we’re going to bring it to conclusion.”
The Associated Press filed its story shortly after the Post broke the news. USA Today had a story earlier this month based on the data from the last few years.
Also, public comments on the proposed regulatory rule were overwhelmingly opposed to the FAA’s action.
–Paul
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
Search OKC pothole repairs
Following on from Sunday’s story on potholes, we’ve posted an online database and map of more than 3,300 pothole repair requests received by Oklahoma City in 2008. The Oklahoman filed an Open Records request to see the complaints, which were taken from the city’s Pothole Hot Line (631-1111). You can search by month or address for potholes called in by your neighbors.
You can find a link to the database on our Right to Know page under the “Maps” section. Also, don’t forget to check out an online video packaged with the story of a pothole repair ridealong with Oklahoma City street maintenance workers.
–Paul
Search for city stimulus requests
The latest “wish list” of infrastructure projects from mayors across the country was released over the weekend, and 10 Oklahoma mayors have requested $1.7 billion in funds from the economic stimulus package making its way through Congress.
You can read today’s story here.
Also, we compiled more than 220 projects requested in Oklahoma into a database that’s on the Your Right to Know page. You’ll find the link under “Data.”
(I blogged about an earlier version of the list last week.)
–Paul
OKC traffic accidents map in real time
The City of Oklahoma City rolled out a new Web page this week that allows you track traffic accidents worked by Oklahoma City police in real time. The page uses Microsoft’s Virtual Earth to map out both injury accidents and non-injury accidents across the city.
Tulsa’s live crash mapping is here. They also have a listing of live police calls, sort of like a police scanner for the Web.
On a related note, a few smaller police departments in the state have contracted with a third-party vendor to put their crime maps on the Web:
–Paul
Rural road safety site
If you drive much in rural Oklahoma, you probably pass dangerous spots every day where you know accidents happen.
Now, thanks to the folks at the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, you can check up on fatal traffic accidents in Oklahoma and across the nation. The center’s new Web site, www.saferoadmaps.org, lets you search the federal government’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System data and combines it with a map function to help you visualize where those wrecks happen.
To get started, go the tutorial page and watch the movies demonstrating the site. You can search by state, Congressional district, or type in an address and see how many fatal accidents happened near there. You can also filter the results to see the difference between urban and rural accident rates and whether or not alcohol was involved.
The site has data from 2006, the latest year available.
–Paul
