Mitigating the Impact of Volcanic Ash Clouds on Aviation—What Do We Need to Know?
Opening Statement By Chairwoman Gabrielle Giffords
Good morning, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to today’s Subcommittee hearing. We have an impressive panel of experts appearing before us this morning, and I look forward to a good discussion.
Today’s hearing is timely. As you know, the eruption of the volcano in Iceland forced the closure of European airspace, paralyzing air travel for six days. Hundreds of thousands of passengers around the world—including many Americans—were stranded and airline revenue losses may reach at least $1.7 billion.
While the ink has yet to dry on that episode, one thing is clear:
Aviation regulators have insufficient scientific data to establish (1) at what level of volcanic ash contamination air travel is safe; (2) where ash clouds are and how concentrated they are on a real-time basis; and (3) the extent of damage, both immediate and long-term, that volcanic ash inflicts on aircraft and particularly on their engines.
Moreover, the dangers to aircraft and passengers are not hypothetical—as our witnesses will testify.
For example, in 1982, after flying through an ash cloud, a British Airways Boeing 747 near Jakarta, Indonesia lost all four of its engines as they choked on the ash and flamed out. Ash was reported to have filled the cabin through air vents and the cockpit window was severely scratched.
Also in 1982—one month after the British Airways incident—a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 lost two of its four engines and was forced to land in Jakarta because of an ash encounter.
In 1989, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747 encountered an ash cloud caused by Mount Redoubt while descending into Anchorage International Airport in Alaska. The aircraft lost all four engines and half of its instruments failed.
I strongly believe that this Subcommittee should, as one of its primary responsibilities, identify space and aeronautics issues of concern to the nation and encourage the development of practical solutions if possible. Oftentimes, focused research can help.
While we have been fortunate not to have experienced the type of widespread volcano-induced airspace closure Europe just experienced, we should view this as a wake-up call.
The reality is that we do have some relevant experience and technologies that can be brought to bear on the problem:
As you will hear later, the inadvertent encounter of a volcanic ash cloud by a NASA research aircraft in 2000 showed how much damage volcanic ash can inflict to aircraft engines and the hidden nature of that damage.
And NASA was recently called on by our European friends to monitor, using its unique satellite-based instruments, the ash plume as it made its way towards continental Europe.
As our country’s aviation regulator, FAA corroborates with other federal agencies to ensure that our Nation’s air traffic safely circumvents any problematic conditions, including volcanic ash situations.
Avoiding volcanic ash clouds is not as easy as it sounds. Conventional radar cannot discern ash particulates. Pilots are keenly aware of this and have been trained on what to do when advised of potential conditions.
Finally, as you will hear today, engine manufacturers provided assistance during the decision-making period leading up to the reopening of Europe’s skies.
I called today’s hearing so that the Subcommittee can help determine what we know--and where our knowledge is still lacking.
Most importantly, I would like to find out if additional research can enhance our understanding of the impact of volcanic ash on aviation so that we can ensure that our reaction to future situations is based on sound data and information.
With that, I again want to welcome our witnesses, and I now will yield to Mr. Olson for any opening remarks he would care to make.
Witnesses
Panel
0 - Dr. Tony Strazisar
Senior Technical Advisor Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate NASA
Download the Witness Testimony
0 - Dr. Jack A. Kaye
Earth Science Division NASA NASA
Download the Witness Testimony
0 - Ms. Victoria Cox
Senior Vice President NextGen and Operations Planning Air Traffic Organization FAA NextGen and Operations Planning Air Traffic Organization FAA
Download the Witness Testimony
0 - Mr. Roger Dinius
Flight Safety Director GE Aviation GE Aviation
Download the Witness Testimony
0 - Captain Linda Orlady
Executive Air Safety Vice Chair Air Line Pilots Association International Air Line Pilots Association International
Download the Witness Testimony