European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                America s unfriendly skies by Martin Tolchin new York times Sai hey Clil Sis is Browing m the american airline Industry. Many aviation a Perls say i tag warning signs dial flight disasters court be imminent in the last year and a half. Aircraft acid Only mostly in corp Ato and commuter lights claimed Chr liven of More than 1,000 people but none of these involved a major United states airline. Bui i to opens Are worried by cumulative o Donco of stress on the commercial system including a Sturge of near collisions in a Nirvair a shortage of controllers guiding pistols. And complaints from pilots and mechanics about poorly maintained air planes the Lola hey a the Silva lion 15 alarming said James e. Burnett chairman of the National transportation safely Board. In the five years i be been on the Board i Don t think i be Ever Scon so Many warning signs " the Board which has a Broad Mandalo to investigate transportation accidents and make Salty recommendations is urging inc Federal Avilton adminis Lvalion which controls air travel to reduce Tho number of Peak period a lights. Donald d. Engen the Federal aviation administrator called Burnett an of Irmil and said.  aviation continues Lobo the finest most modern and sales in the world " he said he saw no need to strict air Traldi. But to has initiated a number of programs to improve air safely incl Ilin i ,1 irn pain to recruit Moi i controllers and air Rall in or ctr i and the orc i Init of new  and comp Tivi a to replace or taif idly i Froli equipment at in attic control centers Ordinary travellers Vivo in least an impressionistic sense that flying seeing less reliable Tynin Bolero. What with numbing delays Iho confusion Wrout Johl by Der a Ulrith of Rrvel acquisitions and Lares that seem to change As Rasi is Stock quotations but Iho statistics cited by exports like Burnett and recent interviews with pilots and Mechanic around Tho Counley. Suggest disorder of a deeper sort Ries to the aviation Agency s improve men Elfors the record includes these problems near collisions when Hying aircraft come a Whin 500 Leet of each inner. Rose steadily irom 311 in 1982 to 839 in 19s6 operational  an Irr traffic controller s failure to maintain ado Iisalo distance Between aircraft increased in percent to 31.3 from the fir Quarter of 198g to the first i killer of tins year to arc worried about that said Jim Burnley rec Pirly Secretary of transportation Liose a department encompasses the Faa Hun a errors by pilots and con pliers is using in safely hazards me eased to 115 in 1986. Irom 103 in 1985. In one of the More recent incident i Continental airlines 727 Jet taking Oil irom los Angeles in february knocked the lip off the Lail of a Cessna that had been cleared to Cross the Monway air controllers continue to be in Short Supply relative to the number of lights Slem Nung largely from the  s dismissal of illegal strikers in 1981. In 1981. Before inc dismissals. The Revere 16,375 controllers of Ishom 13.348 were designated Lully trained nov there Are 15.089 controllers. 9.565 Are Lully trained commercial flights have increased from 47 million in 1981 to 6 2 million last year airline pilols1 average experience flying jews has declined there is a continuing shortage of Faa air Falt inspectors the number of inspectors As t.621 in 1981 it dropped to 1,494 in 1983 and then Roso to she current 1.776 this is an ail time High Hul still lagging behind Tho growth in flights. The Faa a asked Congress for funds to add 178 inspector s maintenance is increasingly deferred according to Many people who Fly and service Tho airlines planes people who live in the system Tell me h s unsafe said rep Guy v Molinari. R n y. Who is one of the aviation experts on Capitol hit he look the House Hoor face Nelly to read letters irom controllers warning that App Toto near collisions have increased dramatically along with record level . Ait traffic. Controllers end their supervisors say they Are overworked during Peak periods the general accounting office reported. Disasters wore jus a matter of time close Calls Are increasingly frequent. In a single two hour period at dusk on april 19. An american airlines 727 flying near Houston banked to avoid a Small air Rall that came within 300 to 500 feel a Southwest airlines 737 descending near Midland Texas suddenly climbed to avoid a private plane by 200 to 300 Leet and a United Ai lines 727 near Santa Barbara calif., flew 150 feet above a private Cessna 172. Among Faa documented equipment and maintenance shortcomings an Eastern airlines 727 shuttle hew Between new York and Washington from feb 9 to feb 20 carrying no ground proximity warning system a Coli Cal device that aids pilots when their vision is restricted by bad weather. A trans world airlines 747 Letl Kennedy International last sell embed Wilh defects including a control panel thai failed to illuminate and a Continental 727 was flying recently Wilh a defective electrical system that made Many gauges inoperative. Spokesmen for Eastern and Continental said the defects wore nol necessarily hazardous and a Twa spokesman said he was unaware of the defects despite a letter from Ine aviation Agency to Twa saying the Agency bad started an investigation. Eastern last february agreed to pay a $9.5 million Fine alter the Agency found 78,000 violations of maintenance and safety regulations. Seco 1984. The Faa has also fined american $1.5 million Western airlines $700,000. Continental $402.000. And Alaska airlines $300,000. Last february Southwest airlines agreed to pay $402,000 because of discrepancies in the Carrier s Iris Section program. Underlying factors cited by i Host who see a safely crisis include deregulation in 1978, leading to Pierce Competition and growing air travel the dismissal of the striking controllers and a general Era of government budgetary restraint. Most aviation experts say economic pressures on Iho airlines to obtain maximum use of their aircraft have reduced the margin of safely. Burnell of the safety Board accused the Faa and Iho department of transportation of either underestimating the seriousness of the problem or lacking the courage or capacity to Correct in in april. Engen of the Faa appointed a special group to Analyse controller errors. To added boo controllers to Tho work Force last year. He has initiated a redesigning Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday june 6, 1987