Jeff Guzzetti, the NTSB’s deputy director for regional operations, told AVweb on Tuesday the board is keeping an eye on about a dozen different GA safety issues, many of them involving new technologies. He said the board will be “monitoring very closely” the introduction of very light jets (VLJs). “We’ll be very attuned to the operational aspects. We’re expecting to see a lot of propeller pilots moving into faster-moving aircraft, and that raises potential issues,” he said. He added that the NTSB already has seen three serious accidents in flight testing with VLJ prototypes — Sino-Swearingen, Spectrum, and Excel Jet — and investigators have their “eyes and ears perked up” to watch for user-interface issues regarding the VLJs. If there are safety problems with new aircraft, those problems tend to appear early on, Guzzetti said, as the airplanes enter the market and get into the hands of real pilots in real situations. Glass cockpits and new technologies such as GPS systems are also being closely watched to catch any problems early on.
NTSB’s Close Watch Over New Technologies
Key Takeaways:
- The NTSB is closely monitoring general aviation (GA) safety issues, particularly those involving new technologies.
- A primary focus is on Very Light Jets (VLJs), due to concerns about propeller pilots transitioning to faster aircraft and potential operational or user-interface problems.
- The NTSB's vigilance on VLJs is heightened by three serious accidents already occurring during prototype flight testing, alongside ongoing monitoring of other new technologies like glass cockpits and GPS for early problems.
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