The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic management,certification of personnel and aircraft,setting standards for airports,and protection of U.S. assets during the launch or re-entry of commercial space vehicles. Powers over neighboring international waters were delegated to the FAA by authority of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Air Midwest Flight 5481 was a Beechcraft 1900D on a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte,North Carolina,to Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport in Greer,South Carolina. On the morning of January 8,2003,the Beechcraft stalled while departing Charlotte Douglas International Airport and crashed into an aircraft hangar,killing all 21 passengers and crew aboard and injuring one person on the ground.
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport is a general aviation airport located near the intersection of Interstate 820 and Business U.S. Highway 287 in Fort Worth,Texas,United States. It is named after former Fort Worth Mayor Henry C. Meacham. The airport covers 745 acres.
Jane F. Garvey is a former government transportation and public works official,now an American business executive,currently serving as the chairman of Meridiam North America. She was the first female Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration from 1997 to 2002. In May 2018,she was tapped to become the first female Chairman of United Continental Holdings.
Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 was a regularly scheduled Allegheny Airlines flight from Boston,Massachusetts,to St. Louis,Missouri,with stops in Baltimore,Maryland,Cincinnati,Ohio,and Indianapolis,Indiana. On September 9,1969,the aircraft serving the flight,a McDonnell Douglas DC-9,collided in mid-air with a Piper PA-28 light aircraft near Fairland,Indiana. The DC-9 was carrying 78 passengers and 4 crew members,and the Piper was leased to a student pilot on a solo cross-country flight. All 83 occupants of both aircraft were killed in the accident and both aircraft were destroyed.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is a labor union in the United States. It is affiliated with the AFL–CIO,and is the exclusive bargaining representative for air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It also represents a range of workers related to the air traffic control (ATC) industry,and the FAA itself.
Comair Flight 5191 was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington,Kentucky,to Atlanta,Georgia. On the morning of August 27,2006,at around 06:07 EDT,the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet 100ER crashed while attempting to take off from Blue Grass Airport in Fayette County,Kentucky,4 miles (6.4 km) west of the central business district of the city of Lexington.
A runway incursion is an aviation incident involving improper positioning of vehicles or people on any airport runway or its protected area. When an incursion involves an active runway being used by arriving or departing aircraft,the potential for a collision hazard or Instrument Landing System (ILS) interference can exist. At present,various runway safety technologies and processes are commonly employed to reduce the risk and potential consequences of such an event.
The 2007 San Francisco International Airport runway incursion occurred around 1:36 p.m. PDT on May 26,2007 when SkyWest Airlines Flight 5741,an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop aircraft,nearly collided with Republic Airways Flight 4912,an Embraer 170 Regional Jet,at the intersection of Runways 1L and 28R at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in South San Francisco,California.
The 2006–2007 Brazilian aviation crisis was a crisis in Brazil's civil aviation system characterized by massive flight delays and cancellations,air traffic controller strikes and safety concerns about Brazil's airport and air traffic infrastructure. It ostensibly started after the crash of Gol Flight 1907 in September 2006,and extended to January 2008. While the government has announced a series of measures aimed at mitigating its effects,no clear solution has been found. In Brazil the crisis has been dubbed "Apagão Aéreo",an allusion to an energy crisis which Brazil experienced between 2001 and 2002.
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is an unsuccessful modernization project of the United States National Airspace System (NAS). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began work on NextGen improvements in 2007 and plans to have all major components in place by 2025. The goals of the modernization include using new technologies and procedures to increase the safety,efficiency,capacity,access,flexibility,predictability,and resilience of the NAS while reducing the environmental impact of aviation.
Andrew Bart Steinberg was a leading aviation regulatory lawyer,who held several key posts in the public and private sectors in the United States. He served until 2008 as the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs within the United States Department of Transportation,after being confirmed to the position by the U.S. Senate on September 29,2006,following appointment by President George W. Bush. Prior to that post,he had been appointed by the President in May 2003,as the Chief Counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration,where he served as the top legal advisor to FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey. Steinberg was a partner in the Washington D.C. office of the international law firm of Jones Day,where he led the firm's aviation regulatory practice,a post once held by aviation pioneer L. Welch Pogue.
Robert Allan Sturgell is a former Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),having served from September 14,2007,to January 15,2009. Appointed to the position on September 14,2007,by President George W. Bush,he was never confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Prior to his appointment,he had served as Deputy Administrator of the FAA since 2003.
The Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is an air navigation service provider in the United States of America. The ATO is the operational division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
On August 8,2009,at 11:53 a.m. (15:53 UTC),nine people died when a tour helicopter and a small private airplane collided over the Hudson River near Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken,New Jersey. The aircraft were in an area known as the "Hudson River VFR Corridor",which extends from the surface of the river to altitudes of 800 to 1,500 feet at various locations along the Hudson River in the immediate area of New York City. Within this corridor,aircraft operate under visual flight rules (VFR),under which the responsibility to see and avoid other air traffic rests with the individual pilots rather than with the air traffic controller.
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) is affiliated with the AFL–CIO through its affiliation with the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association. It represents more than 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense employees. The union was founded in 1977 by Howard Johannssen,an FAA safety technician in the agency's Air Traffic Organization. National President David J. Spero is currently serving his first three-year term,having been elected in September 2021. Carlos Aguirre was elected national vice president in October 2018,and his title changed to secretary-treasurer later that year. Previous presidents of PASS include Johannssen (1977–1994),Jack Johnson (1994–1997),Mike Fanfalone (1997–2003) and Tom Brantley (2003–2012),and Mike Perrone (2012-2021).
Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center is a regional office of the United States Federal Aviation Administration on the grounds of Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City. With around 7,500 direct federal employees,the Aeronautical Center is one of the Department of Transportation's largest facilities outside the Washington,DC area,and one of the 10 largest employers in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. It is named for Senator Mike Monroney of Oklahoma,who wrote and sponsored the Federal Aviation Act of 1958.
The United States has an extensive air transportation network. In 2013,there were 86 airports in the U.S. that annually handled over 1,000,000 passengers each and eight of the world's thirty busiest airports by passenger volume in 2020 were in the U.S.,including the world's second busiest,Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In 2012,88% of all traffic was through the 62 busiest airports in the country. In terms of cargo,in 2015,eight of the world's thirty busiest airports were in the U.S.,including the world's second busiest,Memphis International Airport,behind only Hong Kong International Airport in China. Private aircraft are also used for medical emergencies,government agencies,large businesses,and individuals,see general aviation.
Northwest Airlines Flight 188 was a regularly scheduled flight from San Diego,California,to Minneapolis/St. Paul,Minnesota,on October 21,2009,which landed over one hour late in Minneapolis after overshooting its destination by more than 150 miles (240 km) because of pilot error. As a result of the incident,the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revoked the pilot certificates of the involved pilots and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued recommendations for changes to air traffic control procedures and the rules for cockpit crew. The incident also caused American lawmakers to move to prevent pilots on U.S. airliners from using personal electronic devices while taxiing or flying. In 2013,changes to flight deck automation were suggested,and prototype designs that could mitigate errors leading to similar incidents were described.
Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC) is a runway-safety tool that displays aircraft and ground vehicles on the airport surface,as well as aircraft on approach and departure paths within a few miles of the airport. The tool allows air traffic controllers and air crew in cockpits equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) to detect potential runway conflicts by providing detailed coverage of movement on runways and taxiways. By collecting and fusing data from a variety of sources,ASSC is able to track vehicles and aircraft on airport surfaces and obtain identification information from aircraft ADS-B transponders.
