Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has doubled down on a threat to revoke the certificates of pilots found to blame for causing accidents. In the aftermath of a tight runway incursion at Chicago Midway last week, Duffy posted on X that it is “imperative that pilots follow the instructions of air traffic controllers. If they do not, their licenses will be pulled.” The crew of a Flexjet Challenger 350 had been told to hold short for a Southwest flight landing and read back the instruction but crossed anyway, forcing the 737-800 to go around.
Tasks are easily misprioritized while taxiing for takeoff amid accomplishing checklists on complex taxiway and runway geography. I would sooner suspect misprioritized tasks and mistaking runways for taxiways than “contempt for the rules and a disregard for safety at [its] heart”. Not saying that misprioritizing tasks and mistaking runways for taxiways is excusable, but both fall short of contempt. Just safety culture implies determining intent along with ability. Given the chance, this crew will likely never come close to crossing an active runway again.
Amazing isn’t it? Musk can blow up a giant rocket that rained debris back down over a vast area of the earth, and the FAA has already approved the next launch without even beginning to finish a comprehensive investigation.
However, if a pilot misunderstands a clearance the the controller misses the readback, the pilot’s ticket is pulled, and is immediately out of work and must pay for certification and all type ratings again.
We have been through this (no tolerance) form of enforcement before. This will make a mockery of any SMS, and will end some pilots willingness to report safety issues if there is any chance of losing one’s certificates.
The commentary is trending toward skepticism and concern over heavy-handed enforcement rather than genuine safety improvements, and I agree. We should finalize the investigation first, figure out what went wrong, and then decide on consequences.
From Russ:
I changed this a bit because I realized that Duffy might not know the different permutations of “pulling” a certificate. I’ve asked the DOT what he means but in the meantime I’ve taken out the term “revoke” and replaced it with “pulled.”
Ready fire aim is this administration’s mantra. Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transportation has no excuse for not knowing the different permutations of pulling vs revoking certificates before shooting his mouth off. This administration cuts no slack for anyone. The press should not be cutting any slack for this administration, the Canadian press in particular.
He also didn’t use the word revoke even though the context and his gesture in the video (exaggerated umpire calling an out) suggested that’s what he meant. It’s more accurate the way it is.
This is a return to old, punitive FAA philosophy. It didn’t work then, and it won’t work this time. What will happen is pilots will stop reporting events entirely. As others have said SMS will fall apart.
The fact that it feels like we’re in a period of many foul-ups in aviation is proof that SMS (ASAP, ASRS, etc.) and other things have been doing some great work for us. Go back to 80s and 90s and look at the regularity of crashes in the airlines. The planes haven’t changed that much (EGPWS and TCAS are huge improvements, so take this sentence with a grain of salt); the philosophies have.
This is not really a good way to handle events like this as has already been addressed. It is, however, one of the quickest ways to discourage anyone who has the remotest inclinations of becoming a pilot to rethink it from a professional stand point.
They were told to HOLD SHORT, they read back correctly, then crossed a RUNWAY how bad was it in that cockpit? I would like to hear there cockpit voice recordings and maybe if there were video in the cockpit would be nice to see. Are any cell phones still being played with up front…I mean they haven’t taken off yet so surely we can check our “TicTok” right.
What a great opportunity to introduce ‘Written ATC Instructions’ text to/from the cockpit. Many times the ‘Texted Instructions’ have been given trials with favorable success from both controllers and pilots. It will obviously cost a lot and require a lot of training but the safety factor will be worth every penny.
If a controller wants you to “Hold Short” and the radio frequency is busy. With “ATC Texted Instructions” the controller will just tap the aircraft on his screen that sends “HOLD SHORT” instructions instantaneously to the aircraft cockpit screen and pilot headset. Plus IFR Clearances will be much easier to get right with less radio air time.
Over the past 50+ years, safety has been enhanced. Wind Shear Warning / EGPWS & TCAS, ROAS. A “Just Culture” system was established over the years too with CRM, NASA Reports, ASAP and SMS programs. Before shooting from the hip, DOT Secretary Duffy needs, to gain an understanding of these programs, study the Genesis, value and ongoing evolution of these programs. Convene meetings, consisting of, and not limited to members from the FAA, AOPA, ALPA, 121/135 Safety departments, manufacturers.
For law enforcement officers that are involved in a significant incident they are automatically put on administrative duty pending the outcome of an investigation.
If the aircraft was uncrewed, with autonomous control and all the infrastructure that goes with it, then this incident would probably not have happened. Meanwhile, the unofficial head of the FAA just happens to own a company that has made great strides forward in the autonomous control and remote of aerospace vehicles. Is there a plan to accelerate the replacement error-prone pilots with much cheaper and more reliable computers? Ker-ching!