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Partners and Programs:

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Podcasts

Welcome to the Foundationā€™s podcast page. Below you will find interviews with safety experts from around the industry on a range of topics of interest to aviation safety professionals. New podcasts will be added as they are recorded. The views expressed in the podcasts are those of the speakers, and not necessarily those of the Foundation.

If you have a topic that you believe would be of interest to the aviation community, please get in touch with Vice President, Global Programs, Greg Marshall at marshall@flightsafety.org. Interviews can be conducted in-person at our head office or via Skype.

News, aviation medicine

Key Safety Recommendation Implemented, NTSB Says

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it has implemented enhanced medical monitoring of pilots diagnosed with an alcohol or drug dependency; as a result the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Monday it is satisfied that the FAA has met the terms of a 2007 safety recommendation.

ā€œRecommendations to change inadequate safety systems can and will save lives, which is why we push so long for some particularly impactful safety improvements like this one,ā€ NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said.

The NTSB issued safety recommendation A-07-43 on June 25, 2007, in the aftermath of its investigations of ā€œa number of aircraft accidents in which the ā€¦ FAA had information to indicate, and was or should have been aware, that the pilot had a history of substance dependence, and in which the pilotā€™s substance dependence was relevant to the cause of the accident.ā€

The recommendation called on the FAA to ā€œrequire that all airmen clinically diagnosed with substance dependence ā€¦ who are medically certified by the FAA subsequent to such diagnosis, are followed under guidelines for special issuance of medical certificates for the period that they hold such certificates.ā€

The NTSB said that, in January, FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson told the board that the FAA was actively following pilots in those circumstances. The NTSB responded that it considered the action acceptable and that it was closing its 13-year-old recommendation.

The recommendation was one of more than 200 on the NTSBā€™s 2019āˆ’2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements that have not been addressed. The NTSB considers the list its primary advocacy tool for the top safety improvements that could prevent accidents.

AeroSafety World Editorial Staff. April 21, 2020

Blog, aviation medicine, Aviation Medicine

U.S. Concentrates Coronavirus Screening at 7 Airports

All flights to the United States carrying people who have recently been in China are being directed to land at one of seven U.S. airports with public health resources capable of implementing enhanced coronavirus screening procedures.

The action by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took effect Sunday; the department published details of the decision in todayā€™s issue of the Federal Register.

The action follows an outbreak of respiratory illness that began in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The outbreak was caused by a coronavirus. The Federal Register announcement noted that coronaviruses are common in some species of animals, including bats, cats and cattle, but rarely infect people.

ā€œThe potential for widespread transmission of this virus by infected individuals seeking to enter the United States threatens the security of our transportation system and infrastructure, and the national security,ā€ DHS said. ā€œIn an abundance of caution and to assist in preventing the introduction and spread of this communicable disease in the United States, DHS, in coordination with [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and other federal, state and local agencies ā€¦ , is implementing enhanced arrival protocols to ensure that all travelers with recent travel from the Peopleā€™s Republic of China are provided public health services.ā€

Recent travel is defined by the announcement to mean within the 14 days preceding the personā€™s entry or attempted entry into the United States.

The seven airports that are prepared to screen passengers arriving from China are John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Chicago Oā€™Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Los Angeles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

AeroSafety World Editorial Staff. February 4, 2020

Aviation Medicine

Air Travelers Warned About New Virus

Citing the outbreak of a new type of coronavirus in China, international aviation and health organizations are cautioning travelers to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of a respiratory illness before, during or after a flight and to tell health care providers about their travels. Ā 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Wednesday that it was monitoring developments related to the outbreak and consulting with the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WHO described coronaviruses as a large family of respiratory viruses associated with diseases ranging from the common cold to other, more serious diseases including severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as SARS, which killed nearly 800 people in 37 countries, primarily China and Hong Kong, in 2002 and 2003. Coronavirus symptoms include fever, and some patients develop difficulty breathing.

WHO said earlier this month that the methods of transmission of the virus were not known, but the organization cautioned travelers in affected areas to take precautions, including avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections. Other recommendations called for frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes with tissues or clothing and avoiding contact with animals on farms or in the wild.

WHO recommended no specific health measures for travelers, noting that all countries should ā€œensure that routine measures, trained staff, appropriate space and stockpile of adequate equipmentā€ are in place to assess and manage ailing travelers.

The outbreak was first identified in late December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, but hundreds of cases have since been confirmed in other parts of China and in a number of other countries.

IATA said that airlines are prepared to work with public health authorities in accordance with best practices.

AeroSafety World Staff. January 22, 2020