Tuesday, November 22, 2011

NTSB Releases Agenda and Video for Public Aircraft Safety Forum


National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published the final agenda for its Public Aircraft Oversight Safety Forum, slated to run Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2011, in Washington, DC. The agency also released a video that highlights the issues to be featured at the forum.

The forum will discuss safety issues related to the oversight of public aircraft operations. Public aircraft are operated by a federal, state or local government for the purpose of fulfilling governmental functions such as national defense, intelligence missions, firefighting, search and rescue, law enforcement, aeronautical research, or biological or resource management. Government organizations conducting public aircraft operations supervise their own flight and maintenance operations without oversight from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“Our accident investigations have demonstrated the risks of inadequate safety oversight and identified persistent confusion as to the role of the FAA when it comes to public use aircraft,” says NTSB Chair Deborah A.P. Hersman. “During the forum, we will gather information on the roles and responsibilities of the entities engaged in public aircraft operations and hear about methods for ensuring effective safety oversight.”

The forum is open to all and is free to attend. Registration is not required, but seating is limited. The event will also be presented via live webcast at www.ntsb.gov.