NTSB to hold public hearing on the US Airways Flight 1549 accident

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that a public hearing will be held in conjunction with the investigation of the ditching of a US Airways Airbus A320 into the Hudson River in New York City in last month. The hearing, which will be held in Washington, DC, is expected to be scheduled for late spring or early summer.

In a press release issued a short time ago, NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said, "Based on what we have learned so far about this accident, we know that many things went right. But no matter how many things go right, we've found that each accident presents safety issues that we can learn from - both to further our investigation, and ultimately, to make the skies even safer. This hearing will move us closer toward those goals."

The public hearing will focus on the following issues:

• Training of crew members on emergency procedures
• Certification requirements for the Airbus A-320 related to the structural integrity of the airframe during ditching
• Bird ingestion certification standards for transport-category turbofan engines
• New and developing technologies for detection of large groups of birds and procedures to avoid conflicts with birds in the general vicinity of airports

A list of those expected to testify will be released closer to the date of the hearing. The exact date has not yet been announced.

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