ROSENKER EMPHASIZES NTSB'S CONTINUING INTEREST IN CARGO AIRLINE SAFETY

[NTSB Press Releases <NTSBPressReleases@xxxxxxxx>]

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                      NTSB PRESS RELEASE
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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2007
SB-07-53

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ROSENKER EMPHASIZES NTSB'S CONTINUING INTEREST IN CARGO 
AIRLINE SAFETY


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        National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. 
Rosenker has reiterated the agency's continuing interest in 
cargo airline safety, noting that while the industry has a 
good safety record there are improvements that still must be 
made.

        Speaking before the Cargo Airline Association in 
Washington, D.C. last night, Rosenker said that the cargo 
industry can take pride in having suffered only 3 fatal 
crashes in the last 10 years, given the many thousands of 
operations they fly every year.  However, cargo fires still 
remain a problem that the industry must address.

        Cargo aircraft are required only to have a fire 
detection system, not a fire suppression system, for in-
flight cargo fire protection.  The NTSB recommended in 1998 
that the Federal Aviation Administration explore the 
possibility of requiring such systems.  The FAA has declined 
to require them, citing the added weight such a system would 
provide.  "The Safety Board continues to encourage the FAA 
to evaluate currently available systems and promote new 
technology to reduce weight, increase reliability and create 
a system whose cost will encourage operators to install 
them," Rosenker said.  In fact, he said, a major cargo 
carrier has introduced such a system into its aircraft that 
meets all these criteria.

        Undeclared hazardous materials and the lack of airline 
systems to provide emergency responders consolidated, 
specific information about the identity, hazard class, 
quantity and location of all hazardous materials on an 
aircraft are also continuing concerns of the Safety Board.

        The NTSB is completing its investigation into a 
serious cargo aircraft fire in Philadelphia last year.  The 
Board will consider a final report on that accident at a 
public Board meeting in December.

        Chairman Rosenker's speech can be found on the Board's 
website at the following link:  
http://www.ntsb.gov/speeches/rosenker/mvr071017.html 
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NTSB Press Contact:     Ted Lopatkiewicz
                                (202) 314-6100
                                lopatt@xxxxxxxx






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