Kentucky Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler has presented a bill calling for an independent review of the FAAs progress on safety programs. Chandler suggested that the agency is dragging its heels on safety programs and he wants the National Research Council to find out what the real progress is on things such as runway safety, air traffic control staffing and other safety-related concerns. We simply cannot afford to wait any longer for the FAA to act, Chandler told the Lexington Courier-Journal. The FAA must be held accountable on their promises to bring added safety measures and equipment to airports across the nation. Chandler said the crash of a Comair regional jet at Lexington Airport last year points to the need for increased scrutiny of the FAAs commitment to safety programs. The Comair crash last year made it clear that improved safety measures for air traffic controllers and pilots are desperately needed in airports throughout the United States, he said.
