Press Releases

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Subcommittee on Aviation Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) today commended the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the assembly of international aviation regulators, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), for addressing international pilot training standards and issues related to pilot dependency on cockpit automation.

ICAO, a United Nations body consisting of representatives from 193 member states, is meeting in Montreal from September 24^th through October 4^th to establish ICAO’s policy for the next three years.  At the ICAO Assembly, the U.S. delegation will present a working paper entitled, “Pilot Training Improvements to Address Automation Dependency.”

Ranking Members Sam Graves and Garret Graves wrote to the FAA in July to urge the agency and other nations’ aviation regulatory bodies to carefully consider changes to airline pilot training requirements in the age of highly-automated aircraft systems. 

“I commend the FAA and ICAO for focusing on these issues.  International pilot training has been a concern of mine for some time, but it was sharpened after the recent tragedies involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights,” said Rep. Sam Graves, a professional pilot with an Airline Transport Pilot Certification.  “Over time, aircraft technology has changed and evolved significantly, and many safety improvements have resulted.  At the same time, global demand for low cost air travel has grown and the number of airlines around the world has expanded – sometimes resulting in rushing pilots into the cockpit.  The international aviation community needs to ensure that pilots don’t become over-reliant on technology and that they have basic manual flying skills.  The most important safety feature on any aircraft will always be a well-trained pilot, one who can effectively take control of the plane when problems occur or technology fails.”

“It’s clear that automation has pushed our aviation systems to capabilities we couldn’t have dreamed in just a few decades,” said Rep. Garret Graves. “However, it’s worth examining how these gains may have unintended consequences. To ensure the safety of the industry, we need to know that increased efficiency will not negatively impact the technical readiness of our pilots.”

The U.S. delegation’s working paper outlines recommendations for the Assembly to mitigate the consequences of automation dependency, and how regulatory bodies may address it.  The paper’s suggested actions to the Assembly can be found here.

The Ranking Members also led a March 29th bipartisan request for a pending Department of Transportation Inspector General investigation of international pilot training standards and training for commercial pilots operating outside of the United States, including training relating to the Boeing 737 MAX.  They noted that aviation accidents are rarely the result of just one factor and that all potential factors in the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents should be thoroughly examined to ensure the safest aviation system possible.