April 1,2011

Chairman Hersman Addresses the Air Charter Safety Foundation

Chairman Hersman highlighted lessons learned from recent NTSB accident investigations at the 2011 Air Charter Safety Symposium, hosted by the Air Charter Safety Foundation, in Ashburn, VA, Mar. 16, 2011.  Speaking one day after the Safety Board adopted the accident report on the 2008 crash of a Hawker Beechcraft during an attempted go-around in Owatonna, MN; Hersman emphasized how standard operating procedures and good crew resource management are integral to the safety of Part 135 operations.  “No detail is too small when it comes to safety,” said Hersman.

Chairman Hersman Discusses HEMS Safety at the AAMS Legislative Conference

On March 18, 2011, Chairman Hersman discussed the safety of EMS operations at the Association of Air Medical Services’ Spring Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.  Describing the NTSB HEMS-related safety recommendations that are still outstanding, Hersman noted that there is still a lot of work to do.  “In 2010, there were 12 [HEMS] crashes; seven of those involved fatalities,” said Hersman. “We know that sometimes our recommendations may be expensive and technically challenging, and at times they may not be popular.  But we also know that when implemented, they result in significant improvements in transportation safety.”

Hersman remarked that while the FAA’s notice of proposed rulemaking on air ambulance and commercial helicopter operations is a step in the right direction, an opportunity to enhance safety may be lost if the rule does not adopt other NTSB recommendations, such as night vision imaging systems. 

Click here  to see the Chairman’s remarks.

The Chairman also delivered keynote address at Norfolk Southern's Annual Safety Expo and Awards meeting in Norfolk, Virginia in March.