NTSB makes recommendations for Part 135 operators

An investigation carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of more than 500 fatal and nonfatal Part 135 accidents has revealed safety vulnerabilities within the commercial aviation sector. The NTSB’s analysis of these accidents spanning from 2010 to 2022 has resulted in three new safety recommendations being issued to the FAA and two previously issued recommendations being reiterated. The first of three safety issues explored in the report refers to unsafe loading conditions. Investigators cited four single-engine airplane accidents where unsafe working conditions were identified. The NTSB said: “A requirement mandating flight manifests and weight and balance documentation be recorded for all aircraft operated under Part 135 would help pilots detect and correct unsafe loading conditions. Such a requirement would also provide operators and inspectors the information needed to support proactive, comprehensive assessments to identify any related operational risk areas that may influence improper aircraft loading and mitigate them before an accident occurs.” Secondly, the NTSB identified a lack of certificated dispatchers for some operations. The report identified 12 accidents in which flight dispatch and operational control were deficient because of the personnel responsible for those areas were not certificated flight dispatchers, nor did FAA regulations require them to be. The final point discussed within the report was flight data monitoring. The NTSB added: “The report noted that flight data monitoring programs could provide Part 135 operators with objective information on how their pilots conduct flights, and a periodic review of such information could assist operators in detecting and correcting unsafe deviations from company standard operating procedures.” The NTSB also called for needed improvements in the collection and reporting of aircraft accident and flight activity data used to determine accurate accident rates for certain segments of Part 135 on demand operations.