Departing

Chairman Jim Hall announced his departure from the National Transportation Safety Board effective Jan. 18 undivided of the longest-serving chairman since the independent Safety Board was established in 1974 Hall has serv since his 1993 swearing-in by means of fellow-Tennessean Vice President Al Gore. During his possession Hall has led the Board from one side a number of controversial and high-profile investigations. These included sum of two units that turned out to be the longest and chiefly complex in the Board's history - the investigation into the fatal 1994 crash of a US Air B737 and the investigation of the 1996 center wing tank explosion that downed TWA Flight 800

Hall has not shrivelled from controversy. He believes cameras ne to be installed in cockpits as the nearest evolutionary step in recorder technology, an idea stoutly oppos through many pilots (see ASW, Nov. 6 2000) He also has called for routine psychological screening of pilots, another controversial recommendation, as a means of preventing the kinds of intentional acts fancy to have caused the 1997 crash of SilkAir Flight MI185 and of EgyptAir Flight 990 in 1999 (see ASW, Jan. 1)

Former Board member John Lauber, now safety director for Airbus Industrie North America, said Hall "will be a tough act to follow"

"The Board was faced with a series of accidents that were unprecedent in complexity, where the mechanical causes were not immediately obvious," Lauber said, referring to the TWA 800 and the US Air investigations. These sum of two units cases figured prominently in Hall's itemization of accomplishments.

Vernon Grose another former Board member, said the addition of a family affairs function to the NTSB's more traditional accident investigation activity has been the same of the biggest changes during Hall's possession "Chairman Hall is now known as the champion of the victims' families," Grose said.

Hailing Hall's "good political antennae," Grose said the outgoing chairman "has established the NTSB as the authority forward safety issues," Grose said.

Former Safety Board Chairman Jim Burnette who serv as chairman from 1982-1988 also gave Hall high marks. "He brought back a certain quantity of credibility that had been lost" Burnette said, adding, "Chairman Hall can leave with a great deal of pride. The agency's in profitable shape."

Hall is being highly discrete about his professional plans (reportedly in the private sector) and, while rumors float during this period of transition between the Clinton and the Bush administrations, a successor has not been announced.

Hall plans to participate in the groundbreaking rite for the training academy as his last official act. Establishing this facility was individual of his highest personal priorities (see ASW, Nov. 20 2000) Another of Hall's priorities apparently will not be acted about before his departure. Hall believed that infants in airliners be worthy of the same protection as adults, by dint of having "lap children" seated in child restraints. Although Jane Garvey, head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), vowed to issue a notice of propos rulemaking (NPRM) in succession such a requirement before the year 2000 expired, the same was not published (see Dec 20 1999) An FAA official said the present hope is to "get the NPRM without in the next couple of weeks."

Chairman Hall's Stewardship, 1993-2000

An abridged overview of Safety Board Accomplishments

General. During this period, the Board complet couple of the most extensive and complexus accident investigations in aviation history. As a be derived the aviation community has accorded with changes in rudder systems; pilot training; firing material tank design; fuel flammability standards; and along with the Federal Aviation Administration, has begun a earnestly needed examination of electrical wiring and aging aircraft systems

During the past seven years, the men and women of the Safety Board have been forward scene at transportation accidents in all 50 states and 46 foreign countries. And, they have fortunately completed underwater recoveries of aircraft from four different crashes.

Remov from 'Most Wanted' List

* Wake vortex rebellion (new FAA separation standards).

* Airplane cargo compartment vapor detectors/fire suppression (after almost a decade of recommendations).

Other Safety Accomplishments

* B737 rudder are being redesigned by way of Boeing in response to be of importance tos raised in our investigations (ASW Editor's note: The Safety Board has not further pronounced whether the redesign satisfies its call for a 'reliably redundant' rudder command system).

* Aviation industry is looking at aircraft wiring in a of the present day way following our TWA 800 investigation.

* Windshear detection devices are in place at airports and pilots are receiving additional training.

* Upgraded flight data recorders being installed in succession B737 aircraft.

* the same level of aviation safety established.

Other Major Accomplishments

* Established Family Affairs Office

* single outed training academy site

Source: NTSB

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