Washington, DC—The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today issued a recommendation for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) to work with the Federal Aviation Administration to advance general aviation safety by furthering technology that could improve the capabilities of high-speed single-pilot airplanes in icing conditions. The recommendation was made at the Board’s hearing on the December 8, 2014 aerodynamic stall and loss-of-control during approach accident in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Significant work has occurred over the past decade to improve icing safety, including a dedicated rulemaking committee on icing certification standards. In fact, the ASTM committee F44, General Aviation Aircraft, which is meeting in Austria this week, chartered a working group last year to develop both standards for icing certification and detection of unsafe icing conditions. Additionally, the proposed Part 23 rulemaking will serve as an enabler for more streamlined deployment of safety-enhancing technologies for small airplanes, including in icing conditions—which is why it is critical that the FAA complete its rulemaking soon.

“The ongoing work to advance GA safety under the Part 23 rulemaking and associated F44 standards work will include a review of today’s hearing and NTSB findings. The new Part 23 framework lends itself to taking safety actions in a more timely and efficient manner to enable the fielding of new technologies in new and legacy fleet aircraft that will enhance aviation safety, including for icing conditions,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. “GAMA members are committed and eager to provide operators with advanced technologies that, when coupled with careful adherence to operating procedures, will reduce the number of loss-of-control accidents.”