Table Of Content

REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (111–84) HEARING BEFORETHE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION OFTHE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION January 27, 2010 Printed for the use of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 54–636 PDF WASHINGTON : 2010 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota, Chairman NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia, Vice JOHN L. MICA, Florida Chair DON YOUNG, Alaska PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee Columbia VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan JERROLD NADLER, New York FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey CORRINE BROWN, Florida JERRY MORAN, Kansas BOB FILNER, California GARY G. MILLER, California EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina GENE TAYLOR, Mississippi TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa SAM GRAVES, Missouri TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania BRIAN BAIRD, Washington JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas RICK LARSEN, Washington SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri CONNIE MACK, Florida GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California LYNN A WESTMORELAND, Georgia DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania MARY FALLIN, Oklahoma TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota VERN BUCHANAN, Florida HEATH SHULER, North Carolina ROBERT E. LATTA, Ohio MICHAEL A. ARCURI, New York BRETT GUTHRIE, Kentucky HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona ANH ‘‘JOSEPH’’ CAO, Louisiana CHRISTOPHER P. CARNEY, Pennsylvania AARON SCHOCK, Illinois JOHN J. HALL, New York PETE OLSON, Texas STEVE KAGEN, Wisconsin STEVE COHEN, Tennessee LAURA A. RICHARDSON, California ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas PHIL HARE, Illinois JOHN A. BOCCIERI, Ohio MARK H. SCHAUER, Michigan BETSY MARKEY, Colorado PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama MICHAEL E. MCMAHON, New York THOMAS S. P. PERRIELLO, Virginia DINA TITUS, Nevada HARRY TEAGUE, New Mexico JOHN GARAMENDI, California VACANCY (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois, Chairman RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin MICHAEL E. MCMAHON, New York HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan Columbia FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey BOB FILNER, California JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas SAM GRAVES, Missouri LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii CONNIE MACK, Florida HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona LYNN A. WESTMORELAND, Georgia JOHN J. HALL, New York JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio STEVE COHEN, Tennessee MARY FALLIN, Oklahoma LAURA A. RICHARDSON, California VERN BUCHANAN, Florida JOHN A. BOCCIERI, Ohio, Vice Chair BRETT GUTHRIE, Kentucky NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia CORRINE BROWN, Florida ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas MARK H. SCHAUER, Michigan THOMAS S.P. PERRIELLO, Virginia JOHN GARAMENDI, California DINA TITUS, Nevada JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota (Ex Officio) (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON CONTENTS Page Summary of Subject Matter .................................................................................... vi TESTIMONY Dillingham, Dr. Gerald, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, Government Accountability Office ............................................................................................ 2 Hersman, Deborah, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board ............. 2 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Carnahan, Hon. Russ, of Missouri ......................................................................... 31 Costello, Hon. Jerry, of Illinois ............................................................................... 32 Johnson, Hon. Eddie Bernice, of Texas .................................................................. 36 McMahon, Hon. Michael E., of New York ............................................................. 41 Mitchell, Hon. Harry E., of Arizona ....................................................................... 44 Oberstar, Hon. James L., of Minnesota ................................................................. 45 Petri, Hon. Thomas E., of Wisconsin ..................................................................... 50 Richardson, Hon. Laura, of California ................................................................... 56 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY WITNESSES Dillingham, Dr. Gerald ........................................................................................... 60 Hersman, Deborah ................................................................................................... 85 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Hersman, Deborah, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board: ............ Response to request for information from Rep. Cummings, a Represent- ative from the State of Maryland ............................................................. 27 Response to request for information from Rep. Richardson, a Represent- ative in Congress from the State of California ....................................... 24 Responses to questions from Rep. Oberstar, a Representative in Con- gress from the State of Minnesota ........................................................... 93 (V) VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON vi VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON Insert offset folio 1 here 54636.001 vii VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON Insert offset folio 2 here 54636.002 viii VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON Insert offset folio 3 here 54636.003 ix VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON Insert offset folio 4 here 54636.004 x VerDate Aug 31 2005 09:51 Apr 28, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\DOCS\54636 JASON Insert offset folio 5 here 54636.005