While the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department won't discuss the new agenda or even its precise roll-out date, the number-one goal is expected to be eliminating plane crashes that occur even when there is nothing wrong with the aircraft.
Such crashes accounted for 25 percent of all of the commercial airplane accidents worldwide from 1987 to 1996 - killing 2,396 people, the FAA said. That does not include the 228 people killed in last summer's crash of a Korean Air jumbo jet on Guam, in which investigators believe a perfectly operating plane was flown into the side of a mountain.
Aviation experts call the phenomenon "controlled flight into terrain."
One possible remedy is the mandatory installation of advanced ground-warning indicators in airplanes. A few airlines are already installing them.
Some industry and aviation watchdog groups have been calling for years for a unified approach to aviation safety, arguing that setting priorities in response to crashes diverts resources from the problems that kill the most people.
"Tragic and dramatic as the crash of TWA 800 was, exploding fuel tanks are very, very rare," said Stuart Matthews, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, a group that brings together figures from the airlines and aircraft makers.
"We need to go after the major problems, not the 'safety issue du jour,' if you know what I mean," he said.
04-10-98
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