Rise in Aviation Mishaps Focus of FAA Safety Summit

Transportation leaders and aviation stakeholders met Wednesday to discuss commonalities in a string of close calls at U.S. airports.

Amelia Walsh

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 05:22 PM ET

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“Initial information suggests that more mistakes than usual are happening across the system," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday during the FAA Safety Summit in Washington, D.C. [Credit: FAA/Screenshot]

Key Takeaways:

A recent surge in close calls and runway incidents, including a March 7th event at Reagan National, prompted the FAA to hold a Safety Summit to address systemic risks in U.S. aviation.
Despite the U.S. aviation system's overall safety record, officials like NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed concern that these incidents signal underlying issues.
Contributing factors identified include an unprecedented surge in air travel demand, staffing shortages (especially air traffic controllers), and a lack of funding for new technologies.
The FAA is requesting funds to hire more air traffic controllers, and industry leaders stress the need for continued vigilance as airspace becomes more crowded with increasing travel and new aircraft types.

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The day before Wednesday’s much-anticipated FAA Safety Summit to address a series of close calls and identify risks to the aviation industry, yet another alarming incident came to light.

A runway event occurred at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. on March 7. According to reports, a Republic Airways Embraer E175 made a wrong turn and crossed a runway as a United Airlines Airbus A319 was preparing to take off.