Transport Canada cutbacks troubling: Moshansky

[Widow]

Transport Canada cutbacks troubling, says Dryden crash inspector
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 | 10:59 AM ET Comments1Recommend0
CBC News

The man whose report on one of Canada's worst air disasters led to a number of changes in Canadian airline travel says federal cost-cutting could lead to another serious accident.

Retired justice Virgil Moshansky says efforts to strengthen federal oversight have fallen off since the mid-1990s.

"The government has underfunded Transport Canada to the extent that they let their aviation inspectorate staff be decimated to the point where they can't carry out their responsibility or regulatory oversight," said Moshansky.

Moshansky headed up the inquiry into the March 10, 1989, crash of Air Ontario Flight 1363, which marks its 20th anniversary on Tuesday.

Twenty-four people were killed in a crash soon after the Dutch-built Fokker F-28 lifted off from the snowy airport in Dryden, where it had made a scheduled stop en route from Thunder Bay, Ont., to Winnipeg.

The plane struggled to climb beyond a height of four storeys before it smashed into trees about a kilometre west of the runway.

Ice on the wings was cited as the cause.

Moshansky's 2,000-page report prompted numerous changes in air-travel policies, including an emphasis on the danger of ice buildup on the wings.

De-icing was made mandatory and airlines were required to use a chemical spray.

Airports, especially larger ones, also had to locate a de-icing bay close to the runway, because planes often had long waits to take off and de-icing fluid could wear off in minutes.

Before the report, airlines would often spray boiling hot water on the wings, which would melt the ice but refreeze into a thin glaze of invisible ice, said Moshansky. Ice changes the shape of the wing and hampers a plane's ability to lift off.

"There was very little recognition up until Dryden of the dangers of wing contamination," Moshansky said. "It's remarkable that this was such an oversight."

A bronze plaque will be re-dedicated Tuesday in Dryden to those killed in the crash.

Last month, a Canadian-made Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 plummeted from the sky and landed on a house in Clarence, N.Y., killing one occupant of the home and 49 people aboard the plane, including a Canadian man.

While the cause has not been determined, relatives of one of the passengers are suing Bombardier Aerospace, Continental Airlines and the flight's operators, claiming the aircraft had inadequate de-icing equipment and an improperly trained crew.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/03/ ... sh010.html

[Old fella]

"While the cause has not been determined, relatives of one of the passengers are suing Bombardier Aerospace, Continental Airlines and the flight's operators, claiming the aircraft had inadequate de-icing equipment and an improperly trained crew."

[Widow]

They haven't got that quite right ... http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/03/05/4035234.htm

Tuesday, the National Air Disaster Alliance filed a lawsuit in U. S. District Court in Washington, D. C., accusing the FAA of failing to act for years on icing as well as on the NTSB's runway safety recommendations.

[safetywatch]

Standard procedure in these events - you file a lawsuit naming everyone that was standing within 1000 miles of the event. Later on when all the info is available, you refine who you are going after and drop many of the names. At the outset I would name the aircraft manufacturer, airline, regulator, pilots and anyone else who might be remotely connected. The good news is that in the US the damages can be massive. In Canada they are very limited.

[Hedley]

The government has underfunded Transport Canada

I have trouble believing that ... Transport spends money incredibly
freely, chasing ., my family and the MacKays (and many others)
around - and we all have perfect safety records. I couldn't even
begin to speculate what they've spent on lawyers and
"covert surveillance" on us.

If that's how Transport blows money on people with perfect
safety records, imagine how they must spend money on people
that don't?

[trey kule]

A purfect safety record...yah,,
,but herr hedley, your attitude has been noted.
Und ve have people, even here on avcanada vatching.

The problem is the budget cutbacks have affected only things like the salaries, overtime, and no. of line inspectors. They have not affected first class travel for higher ups, seminars, planning, Quebec translation and publication procedures. And my favorite, spending inordinate amounts of money on constant training, flight pay etc, for people that do not stay current. It truely is not about the amount of money TC gets, but the way they spend it. Dont expect a change as this type of Mandarin beauracrat is in all departments

[Chuck Ellsworth]

It truely is not about the amount of money TC gets, but the way they spend it.

Exactly and it will get worse not better.

[Widow]

I find it odd that back in the 2003 ICAO Safety Oversight Audit, this was one of the concerns:

4.2.1 a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the recommendation that
Transport Canada continue its efforts to correct the shortage of inspectorate staff,
Transport Canada indicated that it intends to continue its recruitment and retention
efforts currently underway and, in the interim, will also continue to apply mitigation
measures such as risk management techniques which have been put in place to offset
the impact of staff shortages on safety oversight. Transport Canada indicated that,
given the current competitive environment, it could not project a time frame within
which the ICAO recommendation to improve the staffing situation would be
implemented.

b) Validation of action proposed. Recruitment initiatives have been successful and
the national vacancy rate is estimated by Transport Canada around 5%. It is
proceeding with the integration of risk management processes into all activities
including human resources management. However, during the audit follow-up
Transport Canada could not present the evidences requested by the ICAO audit
follow-up team to assess the progress made to correct the situation of understaffing
observed during the audit of 2000 which had resulted in less monitoring inspections.
The ICAO recommendation remains open.

Note.— Subsequent to the audit follow-up mission, Transport Canada submitted an
update on 19 September 2003 indicating that based on the planning tools used to
quantify its resource requirements, for all intents and purposes, Transport Canada
is now fully staffed to deliver the designed programme. Audits are scheduled in
accordance with the Inspection and Audit Manual, at a frequency between six and
thirty-six months with an ongoing assessment of established risk factors as part of
the continued integration of risk management techniques with their regulatory
oversight programme, not only within the stand-alone AMO base but with company
AMOs and new certifications as well. Therefore, Transport Canada considers that
the transition to this new environment has been completed and that the audit
programme has reached an acceptable level of stability influenced primarily by
ongoing risk management exercises and the demand for new certifications.

http://www.icao.int/fsix/AuditReps/foll ... 003_en.pdf

... and yet there is nothing with respect to staffing in the 2005 audit - http://www.icao.int/fsix/AuditReps/CSAf ... 2-2-06.pdf ... have I missed something?

Anyone know what the vacancy rate is now?

[hydraulic fluid]

They could start by flying commercial,or useing a 210 or 206 instead of 2 of them flying around in the king air and the jet.Last time I was in Winnipeg there was 3 king airs and the jet.

[foxmoth]

we need an oversight committee of TCCA

I propose C. . as Chairman, Widow as secretary and three other hi time, maybe (cheap) experienced retirement folk. so they can vote.

They will have unlimited acess to all of TCCA demanding ImMEDIATE and total response. *

The comittee will have ultimate power. They can censure programs, hire, remove funds, direct etc etc.
* A 4 to 1 vote will allow them to remove ANYONE from TCCA.
a 5 vote allows for public execution within 24 hours.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

a 5 vote allows for public execution within 24 hours.

I would think I am back living in Saudi Arabia.

[boilerplate49]

There is no doubt in my mind that TC oversight is sorely lacking, not to mention all sorts of other governmental departments. It is just a matter of time until another massive accident happens here, the airlines have become to a large extent self regulating, they fork out endless fees to bankroll organizations like navcanada that keep shirking their responsibility. Navcanada is a farce and this public infrastructure should have never been turned over to private interests. For instance, there have been a bunch of near misses in and around Fort Mac and firebag due to the melee that constitutes ATC in the vicinity. This will not continue without a major problem.

[crazy_aviator]

All you folks seem to have forgotten one very important thing !!! Transport Canada has the "fix" It is called SMS ( Self Management System )

[trey kule]

If TC really believed in proactive safety, they would be looking at audit trends and advising operators accordingly. By this I mean if they find that 80% of operators are not complying with some area, they advise all the others, if no other way, through the safety letter, as a heads up .
We are all human, and you can bet that if operators saw this type of information, those that are smarter than the average bear would check their own operations...

I have brought this up with TC...but the simple fact is this would ultimately mean less audit "findings" for their inspectors..not sure they really want that.

This simple things costs almost nothing (data analysis and publication writing time) and would go along way to demonstrate TC's real committment to safety.

One or two economy tickets instead of first class for Mr. P should do it for budget.

[snowshoe]

So TC is on another cost "cutting/saving" kick?

If so we can be sure it will be the people on the front end and the services that they provide that will be cut. What will be "saved" will be the departments ability to protect itself and the minister from any fallout that may fill the air after any kind of wreck puts a shovel full into the great fan of public political opinion. It's typical and it has happened before.

"Cut away at anything/anyone that works, but god damn, save the spin doctors and their sound bite library. We'll probably need both if the public realize Transport is really unable and/or unwilling to perform its mandated duty to help develop and run a safe, efficient transportation system".

[Cat Driver]

What will be "saved" will be the departments ability to protect itself and the minister from any fallout that may fill the air after any kind of wreck puts a shovel full into the great fan of public political opinion. It's typical and it has happened before.

How many Ministers of Transport can you remember who actually had a clue of what TC should do and what they actually do?

A Transport Minister is nothing more or less than a Marionette, a sort of public clown who dances on the strings that someone else controls.

[Check Pilot]

And has it has been and as it will always be seen.

Regardless of feelings, it ain't gonna change.

[Cat Driver]

Exactly Check Pilot, the problem is far to many citizens actually believe in the charade that some of these government offices really are.

When the next big airplane crash happens and there is compelling evidence that a lack of over site by the regulator due to insufficient manpower on the front lines was a contributing factor, the Marionette will dance on the public stage and parrot the pre-recorded gobbldygook that sooth's the public discomfort and lulls them back into a we trust you mode.

Actually it is quite entertaining to watch.

[jeta1]

There is no doubt in my mind that TC oversight is sorely lacking, not to mention all sorts of other governmental departments. It is just a matter of time until another massive accident happens here, the airlines have become to a large extent self regulating,....

and

When the next big airplane crash happens and there is compelling evidence that a lack of over site by the regulator due to insufficient manpower on the front lines was a contributing factor....

The March 12 2009 Cougar Crash should fall under anyone's definition of "massive accident". I expect the TSB not to leave a single stone unturned.

[bk53182]

Well stated jetall
Unfortunately, SMS will not prevent an accident. A good system will respond to various threats and hazards. A good SMS should also provide a useful emergency response.
SMS is a good internal tool to gauge a corporate culture and behaviour, I am not sure it can be used as a regulatory oversight tool. SMS is resource intensive. If large companies are struggling with SMS implementation, how are the majority of operations in Canada that are owner-operated with less than 20 employees going to cope?