Revise Processes to Implement Safety Enhancements for Alaska Aviation Operations

​​We are ​providing the following information to urge the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to act on the safety recommendation issued in this report. This recommendation is derived from discussions during our September 2019 Most Wanted List Roundtable: Alaska Part 135 Flight Operations​ – Charting a Safer Course. Information supporting this recommendation is discussed in this report.

​​Because the NTSB continues to investigate the same types of accidents involving Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 flight operations in Alaska, we convened, in  September 2019, a panel of Part 135 operators, safety experts, and government officials to discuss what can be done to address Part 135 safety issues in the state. Although the roundtable focused on Part 135 operations, some of the proposals discussed, such as improved pilot training (particularly concerning CFIT avoidance) and consistently managing weather risks, are applicable to all operations in Alaska, which has a higher overall aviation accident rate than the rest of the United States. Specifically, for the period from 2008 to 2017, the total accident rate in Alaska was 2.35 times higher than for the rest of the United States; the fatal accident rate in the state was 1.34 times higher.​

​​We made a recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration to Work with stakeholders that service the Alaska aviation industry to implement a  safety-focused working group to review, prioritize, and integrate Al​aska's aviation  safety needs into the FAA's safety enhancement process. (A-20-11​)​​