A Catalog Of 91 GAO / OIG Reports, Congressional Hearings, and Media Articles. A History of FAA “Partnership Programs” from 1995 TO 2020. Articles include 46 Office of the DOT Inspector General, 12 Government Accounting Office Reports, and 34 Media Articles. 7 FAA Management Retaliations Against 13 Employees
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A small plane crashed into a home located at 925 NE 26th Ave. in Pompano Beach, Florida, on April 25th.
The Hawker Beechcraft 76 plane went down shortly after taking off from Pompano Beach Airpark.
There were two men and a woman aboard the plane at the time; all of them were critically injured. Authorities confirmed that no one on the ground was injured.
The aircraft is registered to Florida Aviation Academy.
The FAA is investigating.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is pleased to be working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop alternatives to jet fuel. Working with USDA, the FAA will assess the availability of different kinds of feedstocks that could be processed by bio-refineries to produce jet fuels. The development and deployment of alternative fuels is critical to achieving carbon neutral aviation growth by 2020. This agreement leverages the expertise and resources of the USDA, enabling aviation to play a key role in expanding renewable fuel while improving the environment.
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Renewable Energy Initiatives to Spur Rural Revitalization Throughout the Country
Biomass Crop Assistance Program Will Help Create National Biofuels Industry; New Agreement with the FAA Will Promote Production and Demand for Biofuels; USDA Report Shows Domestic Biofuel Production Benefits the Economy
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2010 – As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to promote production of fuel from renewable sources, create jobs and mitigate the effects of climate change, Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a series of measures during a speech to the National Press Club in Washington.
“Domestic production of renewable energy, including biofuels, is a national imperative and that’s why USDA is working to assist in developing a biofuels industry in every corner of the nation,” said Vilsack. “By producing more biofuels in America, we will create jobs, combat global warming, replace our dependence on foreign oil and build a stronger foundation for the 21st century economy.”
The Secretary announced several measures, including the publication of a final rule to implement the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). Under the BCAP final rule, USDA will resume making payments to eligible producers. The program had operated as a pilot, pending publication of the final rule. Authorized in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, BCAP is designed to ensure that a sufficiently large base of new, non-food, non-feed biomass crops is established in anticipation of future demand for renewable energy consumption.
“The Obama Administration is aggressively supporting our nation’s farmers, ranchers and producers of biofuels as they work to bring greater energy independence to America,” Vilsack said. “BCAP will help the nation’s power, biobased product, and advanced biofuel industries produce energy from sustainable rural resources and create jobs that will stimulate rural economies across the nation.”
The BCAP final regulation reflects policies developed as a result of more than 24,000 comments received on previous Federal Register notices and a proposed rule, and knowledge gained by implementing a portion of the program in 2009.
BCAP uses a dual approach to support the production of renewable energy. First, BCAP provides assistance for the establishment and production of eligible renewable biomass crops within specified project areas. Producers who enter into BCAP contracts may receive payments of up to 75 percent of the cost of establishing eligible perennial crops. Further, they can receive payments for up to five years for annual or non-woody perennial crops and up to 15 years for woody perennial crops. FSA is accepting project area proposals and, after project area proposals have been approved, eligible producers may participate by enrolling at their FSA county office.
In addition, BCAP also assists agricultural and forest landowners and operators by providing matching payments for the transportation of certain eligible materials that are sold to qualified biomass conversion facilities. The facilities convert the materials into heat, power, biobased products or advanced biofuels.
The Secretary also announced jointly with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a five year agreement to develop aviation fuel from forest and crop residues and other “green” feedstocks in order to decrease dependence on foreign oil and stabilize aviation fuel costs. Under the partnership, the agencies will bring together their experience in research, policy analysis and air transportation sector dynamics to assess the availability of different kinds of feedstocks that could be processed by bio-refineries to produce jet fuels.
The participants will develop a tool to evaluate the status of different components of a feedstock supply chain, such as availability of biomass from farms and forests, the potential of that biomass for production of jet fuel, and the length of time it will take to ramp up to full-scale production. The agencies already have existing programs and collaborative agreements with private and public partners and resources to help biorefiners develop cost-effective production plans for jet aircraft biofuels.
This cooperative agreement supports a larger research plan led by USDA through its five Regional Biomass Research Centers, which will help accelerate the development of a commercial advanced biofuels industry across the United States. Just as important, the plan sets out to include as many U.S. rural areas as possible to maximize the economic benefits of biofuel production across the country. The Centers will provide the critical mass needed to develop high-performance teams that will guide biomass research to address needs in both the public and private sector, including commercial aviation, military transportation, and other activities.
The Secretary also discussed a biofuels report prepared by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS)that says replacing more petroleum with cost-competitive domestic biofuels reduces crude oil imports, thereby lowering prices for energy and benefiting the U.S. economy. The report also includes these findings:
For Immediate Release
SEATTLE – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $585,725 civil penalty against Corporate Air of Billings, Mont., for allegedly operating a Shorts SD-3-30 twin-turboprop cargo aircraft when it was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.
The FAA alleges Corporate Air failed to maintain the aircraft under the company’s general maintenance manual, which requires daily post-flight inspections that include examining the exterior skin for corrosion. In addition, the maintenance manual requires structural inspections on the basis of flight hours or flights.
The FAA alleges that Corporate Air operated the aircraft in violation of regulations on at least 81 revenue flights between Dec. 21, 2009 and Feb. 4, 2010 with corrosion that had not been detected during the post-flight inspections. The FAA also alleges that structural inspections were not conducted at the required intervals, between Mar. 16, 2006 and Feb. 3, 2010, in violation of federal regulations.
Corporate Air operates charter and air taxi service under Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations and makes daily feeder cargo flights under contract to a major next-day air package airline.
“Keeping aircraft well-maintained and in good condition must be a top priority for any operator,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “All operators must comply with maintenance requirements.”
Corporate Air has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.
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An experimental plane crashed near Sumter Airport, Sumter County, South Carolina, at about 11:30am on April 27.
The single passenger plane was scheduled to land at Sumter Airport around lunch time but it never showed up. The search and rescue teams were then sent for finding the plane, which finally spotted it along Brewington Road at around 5:30pm.
According to the rescue workers, they found the crashed plane in an upside down position, with the pilot stuck in the cockpit. The rescuers then cut through the wreckage and lifted the pilot, who had remained stuck inside the cockpit for around seven hours. He was then taken to Palmetto Health Richland for medical treatment. His injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.
According to the Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis, “The FAA will come in and do an investigation and determine what caused the crash… At this time, we have no knowledge of what actually caused the crash.”
As per the FAA records, the airplane was an experimental plane, built in 2012.
Following a 5-day audit of Thailand’s aviation safety standards, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has pointed out several flaws that need to be addressed in order to continue flight service to the US.
The audit was conducted after Thailand’s DCA failed to address the concerns identified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) within the given 90-day period.
According to Thailand’s Transport Minister Prajin Juntong, the FAA has given them 65 days to fix the shortcomings and if they fail to do so, Thai carriers could face a ban on flying to the US.
The flaws identified by the FAA include shortage of qualified air safety inspectors and redundant inspection methods etc.
For Immediate Release
September 10, 2010
Contact: Alison Duquette
Phone: (202) 267-3883
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt today announced a landmark proposal to fight fatigue among commercial pilots by setting new flight time, duty and rest requirements based on fatigue science.
“This proposal is a significant enhancement for aviation safety,” said Secretary LaHood. “Both pilots and passengers will benefit from these proposed rules that will continue to ensure the safety of our nation’s air transportation system.”
Last year, Secretary LaHood and Administrator Babbitt identified the issue of pilot fatigue as a top priority during the Airline Safety Call to Action following the crash of Colgan Air 3407 in February 2009. Administrator Babbitt launched an aggressive effort to take advantage of the latest research on fatigue to create a new pilot flight, duty and rest proposal.
Today’s proposal is compatible with provisions in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, which directs the FAA to issue a regulation no later than August 1, 2011, to specify limitations on the hours of pilot flight and duty time to address problems relating to pilot fatigue.
“I know firsthand that fighting fatigue is a serious issue, and it is the joint responsibility of both the airline and the pilot,” said Administrator Babbitt. “After years of debate, the aviation community is moving forward to give pilots the tools they need to manage fatigue and fly safely.”
Currently, there are different rest requirements for domestic, international and unscheduled flights. The proposed rule would eliminate these distinctions. The proposal also sets different requirements for pilots based on the time of day and number of scheduled segments, as well as time zones, type of flights, and likelihood that a pilot is able to sleep under different circumstances.
The proposal defines “flight duty” as the period of time when a pilot reports for duty with the intention of flying an aircraft, operating a simulator or operating a flight training device. A pilot’s entire duty period can include both “flight duty” and other tasks that do not involve flight time, such as record keeping and ground training.
The FAA proposes to set a nine-hour minimum opportunity for rest prior to the duty period, a one-hour increase over the current rules. The proposed rule would establish a new method for measuring a pilot’s rest period, so that the pilot can have the chance to receive at least eight hours of sleep during that rest period. Cumulative fatigue would be addressed by placing weekly and 28-day limits on the amount of time a pilot may be assigned any type of duty.
Additionally, 28-day and annual limits would be placed on flight time. Pilots would have to be given at least 30 consecutive hours free from duty on a weekly basis, a 25 percent increase over the current rules.
Congress recently mandated that all air carriers have a Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP). Each carrier will be able to develop its own set of policies and procedures to reduce the risks of pilot fatigue and improve alertness. The FAA has prepared guidance material to help the airlines develop their FRMP.
The proposed rule incorporates the work of an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) comprised of labor, industry, and FAA experts that delivered its recommendations to Administrator Babbitt on September 9, 2009.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is on display today at the Federal Registerat http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/. It is also available at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/.
The 60-day public comment period closes on Nov. 13, 2010.
