NSTB Announces Professionalism in Aviation Forum
Available to the public as a webcast, the May 18-20 event stems from recent incidents including the Colgan Air flight 3407 crash in February 2009.
A May 18-20 National Transportation Safety Board forum about professionalism in aviation will be available as a webcast to the public. NTSB said the three-day forum will be chaired by NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman and follows some high-profile incidents in the recent past.
"NTSB's investigations into the midair collision over the Hudson River last August, the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 in February 2009, and the October 2009 Northwest pilots' overflight of their intended airport provided the impetus for this forum because all of them clearly demonstrated the hazards to aviation safety when pilots and air traffic controllers depart from standard operating procedures and established best practices," Hersman said. "During the forum, we will gather information on the screening, selection, and training of pilots and controllers and methods to reinforce professionalism and excellence."
The event will resemble an NTSB hearing because it will include panelists representing industry groups, a technical panel of NTSB staffers from the Offices of Aviation Safety and Research and Engineering, and NTSB board members sitting as a Board of Inquiry and questioning the panelists. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Tony Kern, Ed.D., a human factors and pilot performance expert who is CEO and senior partner of Convergent Performance, a company based in Colorado Springs, Colo.; other panelists' names and the agenda will be available in early May.
The event, "Professionalism in Aviation: Ensuring Excellence in Pilot and Air Traffic Controller Performance," will be held at NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, in Washington, D.C.