NTSB
Pilot weather reports will be the focus of an upcoming public forum announced this week by the National Transportation Safety Board. The event is slated for June 21-22 at NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C. and will include representatives of GA, airlines and academic groups. “PIREPs: Pay it Forward … Because Weather for One is Weather for None” will include discussions on how pilots, controllers, researchers and weather service providers use pilot reports, as well as how the system can be improved using technology.
Citing weather as a major factor in GA accidents, the NTSB has called for improving the PIREP system in recent years, increasing outreach efforts to encourage more pilots to file PIREPs regardless of whether conditions are better, worse or the same as forecasted. The board also has worked with the FAA and National Weather Service to improve their timeliness and dissemination. “For PIREPs to be most effective they must be accurate and made quickly available in the National Airspace System,” said NTSB Member Robert Sumwalt, who will preside over the forum. “There are several problems degrading the effectiveness of PIREPs and it is our intent to use information gathered during our forum – from across the broad spectrum of the aviation community – to find ways to best improve PIREP handling and use.” The forum will be broadcast online.
