NTSB · Safety Recommendation
Safety Recommendation A-10-069
Recommendation
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Require 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, Part 135, and Part 91 Subpart K operators to include a dual-engine failure scenario occurring at a low altitude in initial and recurrent ground and simulator training designed to improve pilots‘ critical-thinking, task-shedding, decision-making, and workload-management skills.
Safety Issue and Context
On January 15, 2009, about 1527 eastern standard time,1 US Airways flight 1549, an Airbus Industrie A320-214, N106US, experienced an almost total loss of thrust in both engines after encountering a flock of birds and was subsequently ditched on the Hudson River about 8.5 miles from LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York City, New York. The flight was en route to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Charlotte, North Carolina, and had departed LGA about 2 minutes before the in-flight event occurred. The 150 passengers, including a lap-held child, and 5 crewmembers evacuated the airplane via the forward and overwing exits.
One flight attendant and four passengers received serious injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The scheduled, domestic passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Response History
July 23, 2014 · NTSB Correspondence · FAA
The FAA’s response to these recommendations is dependent on the successful completion of Safety Recommendation A-10-66, and the resulting availability for existing airplanes of checklists and procedures for a dual engine failure at low altitude. Because you do not plan to mandate changes to existing manuals to address this issue, Safety Recommendations A 10 67 and 69 are classified CLOSED—UNACCEPTABLE ACTION. We invite you to submit any additional information that we did not consider concerning actions that you have taken or plan to complete soon that address or will address these recommendations. If we receive this information in a timely manner, we may reclassify them.
January 11, 2013 · NTSB Correspondence · FAA
To fully satisfy this recommendation, the FAA’s actions in response to Safety Recommendations A-10-66 and -67 must first be completed. Until the development of checklists and procedures for a low altitude, dual-engine failure scenario, the FAA plans to rely on current training initiatives to develop the skills associated with a pilot’s critical thinking, task shedding, and workload management skills. Pending completion of the recommended action, Safety Recommendation A-10-69 remains classified OPEN—ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE.
October 29, 2012 · Recipient Response · FAA
-From Michael P. Huerta, Acting Administrator: The FAA agrees with the intent of this recommendation. The FAA believes that a properly structured scenario occurring at a low altitude that can be incorporated in initial and recurrent ground and simulator training may improve pilot's critical-thinking, task-shedding, decision-making and workload-management skills. However, pending the development of an OEM's recommend checklist and procedure, the FAA will rely on current training initiatives to develop the skills associated with a pilot's critical-thinking, task-shedding, and workload-management skills.
We will keep the board informed of the FAA's progress on these safety recommendations and provide an updated response by November 2013.