NTSB -- NTSB CHAIRMAN CALLS ON REGIONAL AIRLINES TO FIND NEW METHODS TO SOLVE OLD PROBLEMS

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NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2010

SB-10-18

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NTSB CHAIRMAN CALLS ON REGIONAL AIRLINES

TO FIND NEW METHODS TO SOLVE OLD PROBLEMS

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National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P.

Hersman today told the leaders of the nation's regional

airlines to find new methods to solve old problems.

Speaking before the Regional Airline Association national

convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Hersman congratulated

the regional airlines for eclipsing the mainline carriers by

operating over half of scheduled airline departures in the

nation.

Hersman noted that, while regional airlines are becoming an

increasingly important segment of the nation's airline

industry, they also have come under increasing scrutiny.

Although the rate of fatal accidents involving Part 121

carriers (encompassing virtually all scheduled airlines)

today is half what it was just ten years ago, some recent

high-profile accidents like the 2006 Lexington wrong runway

takeoff crash and the 2009 crash on approach to the Buffalo

airport have raised questions about minimum standards,

professionalism, pilot training and qualifications.

Beyond the overarching tragedy of the lives lost in those

two crashes, Hersman noted that the entire industry rises or

falls on its safety record. "This fact could not have been

clearer after the [Buffalo] crash, when all regional

airlines suffered in the court of public opinion."

Hersman said that RAA member airlines need to explore new

approaches to solve old problems like pilot fatigue, which

has been on the Board's Most Wanted List of Transportation

Safety Improvements for 20 years. As an example, she cited

a trucking company that invested in sleep apnea screening,

which resulted in a reduction in preventable crashes by 30

percent, and an incidental decline in monthly health care

costs of almost $540.

Hersman reminded her audience that the Safety Board will

host a symposium in October to discuss issues related to

code sharing agreements between major airlines and their

regional partners.

She closed by saying she is encouraged by the fact that, for

the first time ever, RAA member airlines and their mainline

counterparts are meeting this week to discuss better safety

coordination. Invoking President Kennedy's quotation that a

rising tide lifts all boats, Hersman said "Likewise, an

airline industry that is safer tomorrow than it is today

will lift all carriers to new heights."

The text of Chairman Hersman's speech may be found at

http://www.ntsb.gov/speeches/hersman/daph100526.html.

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NTSB Media Contact: Ted Lopatkiewicz

(202) 314-6100

lopatt@xxxxxxxx

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