By Micah Maidenberg
U.S. air-safety regulators proposed requiring more aviation companies adopt preventative-safety programs after facing criticism from some members of Congress about its efforts to mandate such initiatives.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said its proposed rule would require aircraft manufacturers, charter operators, air-tour companies and other firms to implement what are called safety management systems. Those programs are designed to help companies identify safety problems and address them before they become potential threats.
Major U.S. airlines have had to have SMS programs in place since 2018, the FAA said, while some larger manufacturers, including Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Sikorsky division, which makes military helicopters, have adopted them voluntarily.
Almost 2,700 companies would be required to develop and implement SMS programs, according to the FAA's proposal. Most of that total, or roughly 1,900, are companies that handle unscheduled air service operations. More than 60 manufacturers would be required to adopt them as well, according to the FAA's proposed regulation.
In 2020, after the crashes of two Boeing Co. 737 MAX planes that killed 346 people, Congress passed legislation aimed at reforming how the FAA certifies airplanes. That bill included language requiring the FAA create rules to mandate SMS programs at aircraft manufacturers.
The agency has faced questions about its progress with meeting that requirement. During a hearing in 2021, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D.-Wash.) said the FAA's efforts to promote SMS programs on a voluntary basis wasn't sufficient: "It's been long known that we need to implement a mandatory SMS system."
The FAA said Tuesday that its new proposal goes beyond what the 2020 bill requires.
"Expanding safety management systems to other players in the aviation industry will reduce accidents and incidents and save lives," Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement.
To come up with the plan, the agency had to take several steps, including conducting a cost-benefit analysis and determining the potential rule wouldn't have unintended consequences, according to a spokesman.
Between 2015 and 2019, there were 248 accidents involving aviation operators authorized to fly under two different parts of federal law, the FAA said in its proposal, citing data from the National Transportation Safety Board. Those accidents resulted in the deaths of 137 people.
Thirty-nine of the accidents that had fatalities or seriously injured people "could have been mitigated had those operators implemented an SMS, " according to the FAA's potential rule.
Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, said the proposal was an important step forward for aviation safety. The board had long pushed for such a requirement, Ms. Homendy said.
"We have seen many accidents that likely would have been prevented by a robust SMS," she said in a statement.
Pete Bunce, chief executive of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said the trade organization was looking forward to reviewing and commenting on the FAA's plan. GAMA supports the "appropriate implementation" of SMS standards, he said.
Michael Hertzendorf, operations chief at Helicopter Association International, said smaller and larger helicopter operators have varying degrees of capacity and resources to carry out the proposal, should it move forward. "One size does not fit all," he said.
SMS programs are supposed to provide companies with an organization-wide approach to pinpointing safety issues, assessing and managing safety risks and taking other steps to ensure safe flights, according to the FAA.
"Historically, the approach to aviation safety was based on the reactive analysis of past accidents and the introduction of corrective actions to prevent the recurrence of those events," the agency said in its proposal. SMS programs help organizations identify and mitigate potential hazards on the front end, the FAA said.
Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-10-23 1808ET
