Latest news with #BryanBedford
Reuters
an hour ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump FAA nominee calls near-miss incidents at DC airport unacceptable
WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday that the 85 near-miss incidents at Reagan Washington National Airport since 2021 were unacceptable. On January 29, a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab regional passenger jet near Reagan, killing 67 people. "In the years preceding that tragic night in January, there were 85 similar near misses at Reagan National. How did this go unaddressed? It's unacceptable," FAA nominee Bryan Bedford said, adding that the FAA needs significant investment in air traffic control. The National Transportation Safety Board said in March that since 2021 there were more than 15,200 occurrences at Reagan between commercial airplanes and helicopters with lateral separation distance of less than 1 nautical mile and vertical separation of less than 400 feet, and 85 close-call incidents during that period. "If confirmed, my top priority will be public safety and in restoring the public's confidence in flying," said Bedford, who has raised questions about the FAA's leadership and culture. On Wednesday, acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy and Army Aviation Brigadier General Matthew Braman will answer questions from senators about a May 1 incident in which two passenger airline flights were forced to abort landings at Reagan because of a nearby Army helicopter. The FAA barred the Army from training or priority transport flights around the Pentagon after the incident. A bipartisan group of 10 former FAA administrators and acting heads of the agency endorsed Bedford, including his predecessor Mike Whitaker, who stepped down on January 20, a little over a year into his five-year term. "In the years ahead, the FAA will be at the center of efforts to modernize and rebuild our nation's air traffic control system - an undertaking that requires immediate action," the former FAA officials wrote in a letter to senators, saying Bedford was "exceptionally qualified to lead this effort from day one." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants tens of billions of dollars to overhaul air traffic operations. Separately, two dozen U.S. senators on Monday asked the inspectors general for the Pentagon and Transportation Department to open audits in response to the January 29 collision.
CNN
2 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Trump nominee to lead FAA critical of agency safety mandate, questionnaire shows
The Trump administration's nominee to lead the embattled Federal Aviation Administration says there is a 'profound lack of trust' in the agency and it 'fails to carry out its safety mission.' The sharp criticism by airline executive Bryan Bedford is written in a questionnaire, obtained by CNN, which was submitted to top senators ahead of his first nomination hearing Wednesday. 'The root cause of FAA's inability to complete its mission to modernize air traffic systems and effectively manage safety is the lack of strategic vision and competent leadership,' Bedford said in the document, first reported by Reuters. 'After the horrific accident on January 29, 2025, those of us who are passionate about aviation can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines as FAA fails to carry out its safety mission,' Bedford wrote in the memo to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 'I only needed one reason to say yes to President Trump: I firmly believe in his vision for building a new, modernized air traffic control system, not just incremental changes.' The FAA is facing major challenges as it grapples with repeat air traffic control systems failures at the approach control facility for Newark Liberty International Airport; aging air traffic control infrastructure nationwide; and a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers. The families of those killed in a 2009 plane crash expressed 'serious concerns' about Bedford's nomination, specifically citing an effort to circumvent a pilot training requirement while he was CEO of Republic Airways. The National Transportation Safety Board found pilot error was to blame for the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York, which left 50 people dead. 'We saw firsthand the devastating consequences of inadequate training in the cockpit,' Scott Maurer, whose daughter Lorin was killed in the crash, said in a statement. Inadequate pilot training was among the problems exposed by the crash, the NTSB found. 'The lessons of Flight 3407 were learned through unimaginable loss, and we refuse to let them be forgotten,' Maurer added. Bedford's Wednesday hearing is scheduled before the same Senate Committee that on Monday called for an independent review of the January midair collision in Washington. 'There is a profound lack of trust with and within the agency,' Bedford wrote in the questionnaire. 'Part of this is due to an unwieldy organizational structure with unnecessary spans, layers, and silos which makes responsibility opaque and accountability difficult at best.'
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump's FAA Nominee Says Air Traffic Needs ‘Significant' Investment
President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration plans to tell lawmakers that the US air traffic control system needs a 'significant' influx of cash, according to prepared written remarks seen by Bloomberg. Bryan Bedford, the nominee for the job of FAA administrator, said that prior to accepting the nomination, he asked Trump if he could meet with the agency's senior team. 'During that meeting, they expressed serious concerns with outmoded, analog telecommunications technology, obsolete facilities, and the chronic staffing challenges at our air traffic control centers,' he said, according to written testimony ahead of a confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Trump FAA nominee says agency faces serious leadership, trust issues
WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration says the agency faces serious leadership, trust and culture issues, according to a Senate questionnaire seen by Reuters. The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday on Trump's nomination of Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford to head the FAA. The FAA has come under scrutiny after a series of safety incidents, especially a January 29 mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and U.S. Army helicopter that killed 67 people. "The lack of steady and qualified leadership helps to explain the lack of any coherent strategy or vision for the agency," Bedford wrote in the questionnaire reviewed by Reuters. "A malaise has set in whereby managers believe the agency is helpless to make the necessary changes, and furthermore, they rationalize it isn't really their fault." Bedford, a pilot and industry veteran of more than 30 years, was nominated in March. He previously headed two other carriers and oversaw a significant expansion of Republic Airways, which operates regional flights for American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab United Airlines (UAL.O), opens new tab and Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), opens new tab. Bedford said there was a profound lack of trust with and within the FAA. He described the agency's organizational structure as "unwieldy" and said there was a need to urgently address the agency's "reactive" safety culture. "The lack of trust makes many managers at FAA reluctant to speak up for fear of retribution," Bedford wrote. He cited "failures" like the FAA's Boeing BA.N 737 MAX certification, oversight of chronically delayed air traffic control implementation, and continued controller shortages. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants Congress to approve tens of billions to reform air traffic control and boost staffing. "The root cause of FAA's inability to complete its mission to modernize air traffic systems and effectively manage safety is the lack of strategic vision and competent leadership," Bedford wrote. The FAA does not encourage risk-taking for innovation, Bedford added. "There appears to be no incentive for anyone at FAA to take any innovation risk for fear that it could fail," Bedford wrote. "You could say there was an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' attitude, but that has morphed into a quiet resignation that 'we can't fix it, but we can do our very best to make the system work safely today' mindset."
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
FAA Nominee Blames Air Traffic Woes on Safety Agency's Culture
President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration blasted the regulator's risk-averse culture and a lack of strong leadership, saying those shortcomings have stymied efforts to modernize the US air traffic control system. 'The root cause of FAA's inability to complete its mission to modernize air traffic systems and effectively manage safety is the lack of strategic vision and competent leadership,' Bryan Bedford, the nominee for FAA administrator, said in written responses to a Senate questionnaire ahead of his confirmation hearing this week.
