FAA to step up small plane scrutiny after close-call between Southwest plane, business jet

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it taking steps to address safety issues involving general aviation and business jets after a serious Feb. 25 near-miss incident in Chicago.

The FAA said it will initiate safety-risk analysis of close encounters between pilots flying visually and pilots flying under air traffic control after holding a meeting Thursday with general and business aviation groups. Last month a Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) flight was forced to abort a landing at Chicago Midway and narrowly avoided a collision with a business jet that entered the runway without authorization.

Over the last two years, a series of troubling near-miss incidents has raised concerns about U.S. aviation safety and the strain on understaffed air traffic control operations. Several incidents have involved close calls with small planes.

The FAA said it would take a series of steps to remind pilots to check notices for situations they can encounter during flight, be familiar with their destination airport, avoid complacency by paying attention to pre-flight checklists and pay close attention to onboard collision warnings.

"Safety is a collective effort that requires constant, proactive collaboration among all stakeholders," said Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau. "Complacency is the enemy of safety and we need to be vigilant to address emerging risks before they become problems."

Other incidents have raised concerns.

On Saturday, three small airplanes violated temporary flight restrictions over Palm Beach, Florida where President Donald Trump was staying, prompting the military to respond with F-16 fighter aircraft.

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The North American Aerospace Defense command said the excessive number of incidents indicated pilots were not reading required notices before flying.

Former National Transportation Safety Board member Bruce Landsberg said at a separate safety event this week that no common theme has emerged in recent incidents.

"What this reinforces is the need to be sure that everybody is paying attention to what’s going on," Landsberg said. "It’s very easy when you’re operating in the system day in and day out to become complacent."

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