Alarmed by Increasing Crashes in Alaska, FAA Pens Letter to Pilots Calling for Improved Flight Safety

Responding to a rise in air crashes in Alaska, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contacted pilots and carriers in May 2016 to encourage an improved safety culture. During the past 12 months there have been 24 fatalities and serious injuries. Alarmed by the numbers, the FAA’s Alaska division manager Clint Wease wrote to pilots and carriers to express the agency’s concern. In particular, he addressed the recent increase in Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) crashes, which involve pilots flying in unsafe weather and dangerous conditions.

In the letter, Wease wrote, “most CFIT accidents are because of inappropriate or non-existent safety cultures, leaving all decisions up to and placing all responsibilities on a pilot who may have to make split second, life or death decisions.”

The FAA is also working with the Medallion Foundation to try and curb air crashes. The non-profit foundation’s mission is to reduce aviation accidents in Alaska by fostering a proactive safety culture and promoting higher safety standards through education, training and other means.