FAA Answers News Report Of Increased ‘Close Calls’

Yesterday (Aug. 21), the FAA responded to an alarming article in The New York Times, published the same day, addressing what the paper called dangerous increases in close calls and near-collisions. Citing public records as well as internal FAA communications, the paper called out “at least 46 close calls involving commercial airlines last month alone.” While acknowledging that increases in air traffic over the past decade are one reason for the increases in close calls, the authors also blamed a combination of understaffed Air Traffic Control facilities and insufficient funding to install ground-collision-avoidance technology at airports.

Though the Times also acknowledged there has not been a major airline fatality in the U.S. for 14 years, the paper nevertheless suggested that increases in the number of close calls mean that it’s only a matter of time before disaster strikes.

In its news release yesterday, the FAA said that runway incursions have actually decreased since 2018, and the U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world. But, the agency conceded, “one close call is one too many.”

The FAA said its action items implemented since March include:

Issuing a safety alert to ensure operations are conducted at the highest level of safety, including changes to procedures or training; announcing steps the agency’s Air Traffic Organization will take to ensure supervisors devote their full attention to the operation and airfield during peak traffic; forming an Independent Aviation Safety Review Team; investing more than over $100 million to reduce runway incursions at 12 airports; launching a “Stand Up for Safety” campaign for air traffic controllers; and initiating a search for new, more affordable airport surface situational awareness technology.

The FAA wrote: “After analyzing years of national runway incursion data, we initiated a comprehensive multi-year Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM) program to identify, prioritize, and develop strategies to help airport sponsors mitigate risk. To learn more, read about the FAA’s runway safety program and runway safety fact sheet.”