Safety Recommendation A-21-001

We note that you are working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to update NWS Instruction 30-2111, as recommended. We also note that you are working to upgrade a tracking system so system resources can be tracked across the ASOS network. Pending our review of the revised policy, Safety Recommendation A-21-1 remains classified OPEN-- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE.

From John D. Murphy, Chief Operating Officer, NOAA National Weather Service: The Office of Observations continues to coordinate the update to maintenance policy with the FAA while simultaneously upgrading the Maintenance Management and Asset Tracking system to track system resources across the ASOS network. The interim activity will be to issue a maintenance note to the Regional Field Technicians with draft policy changes to assess the viability of memorializing them in Policy.

We note that, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, you are currently reviewing NWS policies to determine how to best incorporate the recommended changes. Pending our review of the revised policies, Safety Recommendations A-21-1 and -2 are classified OPEN-- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE.

Please update us at ExecutiveSecretariat@ntsb.gov on your progress toward implementing these recommendations, and do not submit both an electronic and a hard copy of the same response.

-From John D. Murphy, Chief Operating Officer, NOAA National Weather Service: The NWS acknowledges receipt of these two NTSB Safety Recommendations, and we are reviewing our policy in light of these recommendations. Policy updates will be made in coordination with the FAA over the next few months. We will provide additional updates as the work progresses and is completed.

The NWS point of contact, NWS Forensic Services Program Manager Lora Wilson, will be responsible for the coordination and consolidation of future responses for these recommendations. Please have your staff contact Ms. Wilson.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline. We determine the probable cause of the accidents and issue safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. In addition, we carry out special studies concerning transportation safety and coordinate the resources of the federal government and other organizations to provide assistance to victims and their family members affected by major transportation disasters.

The attached letter from the NTSB Chairman provides information about the NTSB’s February 1, 2021, report Revise Processes, Procedures, and Reporting Capabilities for Automated Weather Systems, NTSB/ASR-21/01. The details of this accident investigation and the resulting safety recommendations may be found in the attached report, which can also be accessed at http://www.ntsb.gov. For more information about NTSB and our recommendation process, please see the attached one-page summary.

The NTSB is vitally interested in these recommendations because they are designed to prevent accidents and save lives. We would appreciate a response within 90 days of the date of this letter, detailing the actions you have taken or intend to take to implement these recommendations. When replying, please refer to the safety recommendations by number (for example, A-21-1 and -2). We encourage you to submit your response to ExecutiveSecretariat@ntsb.gov. If your reply exceeds 20 megabytes, including attachments, please e mail us at the same address for instructions on how to send larger documents. Please do not submit both an electronic copy and a hard copy of the same response.

All communications regarding safety recommendations will be stored by the NTSB and viewable by the public. Please do not send privileged or confidential communications in response to this/these recommendation(s). Responses marked as confidential or privileged (or similar designations) will be considered nonresponsive. If you have concerns about this protocol, please contact us at ExecutiveSecretariat@ntsb.gov.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline. We determine the probable cause of the accidents and issue safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. In addition, we carry out special studies concerning transportation safety and coordinate the resources of the federal government and other organizations to assist victims and their family members affected by major transportation disasters.