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-call aviation incidents, including a runway event at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, prompted the FAA to hold a Safety Summit to address systemic risks.
Despite the U.S. aviation system's overall safety record, officials view these incidents as "precursor events" signaling underlying issues that require immediate attention.
Contributing factors identified include increased air travel demand, staffing shortages (particularly air traffic controllers), and a lack of funding for new technologies, leading to calls for more hiring and industry-wide vigilance.

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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.