
NTSB Accomplishments (1993-2000)
Safety Accomplishments
Removed from Most Wanted List
- Administrative license revocation (40 States have)
- School bus safety (tougher bus construction standards)
- Toxicological testing in all transportation modes
- Wake vortex turbulence (new FAA separation standards)
- Commuter airline safety (one level of safety)
- Safety of passengers in railroad cars (new emergency egress rules implemented)
- Airplane cargo compartment smoke detectors/fire suppression (after almost
a decade of recommendations)
- Mode C intruder conflict alert (FAA exceeded recommendation, installing
it in more sites)
Other Safety Accomplishments
- Focused vehicle manufacturers' and States' attention on child passenger
safety
- Airbag safety: After our public forum and safety study, manufacturers agreed
to depower bag to protect children and small-statured adults
- Fitting stations: Following our recommendations, automakers and some States
agreed to support fitting stations nationwide
- 737 rudders are being redesigned by Boeing in response to concerns raised
in our investigations
- Aviation industry is looking at aircraft wiring in new way following our
TWA 800 investigation
- Locally sounding smoke alarms on cruise ships (have received industry commitment
to retrofit ships)
- Windshear detection devices are in place at airports and pilots are receiving
additional training
- Upgraded flight data recorders being installed on 737 aircraft
- One level of aviation safety established
- Tentative agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to place warning
labels on over-the-counter and prescription drugs
Other Major Accomplishments
- Established Family Affairs Office
- Selected training academy site
- Conducted four major aviation crash underwater recoveries
- Improved coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other
governmental agencies
- Established 24-hour Communications Center
- Assisted 46 foreign countries in their investigations of transportation
accidents
Safety Studies
- Commuter Airline Safety, 11/94
- Fatigue in Heavy Truck Accidents, 1/95
- Aviation Safety in Alaska, 11/95
- Air Bags and Child Restraints, 9/96
- Excavation Damage Prevention, 12/97
- Personal Watercraft Safety, 5/98
- Passive Grade Crossings, 7/98
- Operator Fatigue in All Modes, 5/99
- Emergency Evacuation of Commercial Airplanes, 6/00
Major Safety Symposia/Hearings
- Fatigue in Transportation, 11/95
- Air Bags and Child Passenger Safety, 3/97
- Family Assistance Symposium, 9/98
- Heavy Truck/Motorcoach Safety, 4/99
- Transportation Recorders, 5/99
- Automobile Child Restraints Roundtable, 6/99
- Child Safety in Aviation, 12/99
- Commercial Driver Oversight, 1/00
- Transportation Safety and the Law, 4/00
- Pipeline Safety, 11/00
- Providing Booster Seats for Lap-only Seat Belts
Significant Accident Investigations
Aviation
- USAir DC-9, Charlotte NC (34 fatalities), 7/94 (windshear)
- USAir 737, Aliquippa PA (132), 9/94 (737 rudders)
- American Eagle ATR-72, Roselawn IN (68),10/94 (icing)
- American Eagle Jetstream, Raleigh/Durham NC (15), 12/94 (CRM)
- ASA EMB-120, Carrollton GA (8), 8/95 (maintenance)
- American Airlines 757, Cali, Colombia (160), 12/95 (pilot performance, enhanced
GPWS)
- Ron Brown 737, Croatia (35), 4/96 (assisted military investigation)
- ValuJet DC-9, Everglades (110), 5/96 (cargo compartment smoke/fire detection)
- TWA 747, East Moriches NY (230), 7/96 (fuel tank flammability)
- United Express Flight 5925/Beechcraft King Air A90, Quincy IL (14), 11/96
(non-controlled airports)
- Comair EMB-120, Monroe MI (29), 1/97 (icing)
- Korean Airlines 747, Guam (229), 7/97 (pilot performance)
- American Airlines MD-82, Little Rock AR (11), 6/99
- Egyptair 767, Atlantic Ocean (217), 10/99
- Alaska Airlines DC-9, Port Hueneme CA (88), 1/00
Celebrity crashes:
- Jessica Dubroff, Casper WY (3), 4/96 (child pilot)
- John Denver, Monterey CA (1), 10/97 (pilot inattention, medical certification)
- Admiral Don Engen, Minden NV (2), 7/99
- John F.Kennedy, Jr, Vineyard Haven MA (3), 7/99 (spatial disorientation)
- Payne Stewart, Aberdeen SD (6), 10/99 (depressurization)
Significant foreign investigations:
- Silk Air 737, Indonesia (104), 12/97
- Cebu Pacific DC-9, Philippines (104), 2/98
- Swissair MD-11, Canada (229), 9/98
- LAPA 737, Argentina (65), 8/99
Highway
- Fox River Grove IL, (7) school bus/train, 10/95 (grade crossing safety)
- Normandy MO, (4) transit bus, 6/97 (driver training)
- Yonkers NY, (1) tanker, 10/97 (wet lines)
- Burnt Cabins PA, (7) motorcoach, 6/98 (fatigue)
- Old Bridge NJ, (8) casino motorcoach, 12/98
- New Orleans LA, (22) casino motorcoach, 5/99
Pipeline
- San Juan PR, (33) 11/96
- Bellingham WA, (3) 6/99
- Carlsbad NM, (12) 8/00
Marine
- Universe Explorer (5), Alaska, 7/96 (local sounding smoke alarms)
- Bright Field (0), New Orleans LA, 12/96 (protection of waterside structures/vessels)
- Morning Dew (4), Charleston, SC, 12/97 (Coast Guard search & rescue)
- Ecstasy (0), Miami FL, 7/98
- Miss Majestic (13), Hot Springs AR, 5/99
Rail
- Secaucus NJ (3), 2 commuter trains, 2/96 (driver qualifications)
- Silver Spring MD (11), commuter/Amtrak, 2/96 (placement of signals, passenger
egress standards)
- Bourbonnais IL (11), Amtrak, 3/99
Safety
Recommendations & Accomplishments
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