Word: ntsb
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...tank on the Boeing 747 to explode. But beyond that general consensus, nobody knows exactly why. Except, of course, the rabble-rousers: Federal investigators, who've spent much of the last four years up to their elbows in this convoluted case, bristle at conspiracy theorists' continued accusations that the NTSB and FAA are covering up the true cause of the crash. Early speculation that terrorist action brought the plane down was quickly discounted, but several passengers' family members and a few enthusiastic intrigue-seekers have clung to the idea that Boeing is hiding the truth about the 747's safety...
...Robert Francis, the former NTSB official who headed the investigation, applauded the agency's work Tuesday and congratulated his co-workers for their years of work. He also effectively washed his hands of the inquiry, telling CNN, "Certainly, it's not for want of trying that [the cause of the] TWA [Flight 800 crash] hasn't been finally solved." That thought, and the additional safety items added since the crash, are about the only solace left...
...preliminary analysis that the crash that killed 217 in October was caused by a suicidal co-pilot, GAMIL EL-BATOUTI, Egypt applied political pressure in Washington and is spending freely on a public relations effort. A slew of experts were hired to press the issue for EgyptAir, including former NTSB chairman CARL VOGT and several former NTSB investigative specialists. Those hires paid off last week, when Aviation Week claimed U.S. investigators were doubting the suicide theory and instead were looking at mechanical failures as the key cause. "That is pure baloney," says a U.S. government official familiar with the NTSB...
...that the FAA hasn't been trying; the agency has been working on a new computer system designed to handle the increased traffic. Unfortunately, the system is now 10 years late (and counting) - and has not inspired a great deal of confidence in anyone familiar with NTSB safety concerns. One particularly alarming flaw in the new system involves the procedure by which air traffic controllers warn pilots when a plane is on a collision course with, say, a catering truck: By the time both vehicles show up on the system, reaction time has been cut to seconds. Not the ideal...
...going to have a state-of-the-art radar system in the near future. What can be done in the meantime to make our runways safer? The NTSB has offered a string of suggestions, many of which are revolutionary in their simplicity: Controllers need to speak slowly and clearly, and pilots should come to a full stop before crossing any runways. Good thing these people went through intensive aviation training - otherwise, all of these complicated safety directives might be way over their heads...