By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it would open a new aviation safety office as part of a strategic plan to improve hiring and training and quickly identify potential hazards after harsh criticism for failing to address near-miss incidents.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford unveiled "Flight Plan 2026" in the wake of a January mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National
Airport that killed 67 people.
He said the plan would create an FAA safety management system and implement an FAA-wide safety risk management process.
"To accomplish this, we will establish a Safety Integration Office, develop safety risk heat maps, increase transparency, and improve accountability across all levels of the organization," Bedford said.
The FAA also is beginning the process of moving its headquarters into a building that houses the U.S. Transportation Department.
"Aviation is changing rapidly, and the nation expects the FAA to lead with confidence, competence, and clarity," Bedford said in a note to employees, saying the effort was to enhance its ability to proactively identify hazards.
The FAA plans to establish a pilot program for aircraft certification applicants to participate in digitized certification processes.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy harshly criticized the FAA for failing to act despite dozens of near-miss incidents before the fatal crash on January 29, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office.
"We had 84 near misses in the three years before in the D.C. airspace, and no one did anything," Duffy said. "Someone was asleep at the wheel. Someone should have seen that."
Lawmakers from both parties have questioned why the FAA failed to act for years to address close calls involving helicopters near Reagan airport.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said in August the FAA had ignored warnings about serious safety issues. "You transferred people out instead of taking ownership over the fact that everybody in FAA in the tower was saying there was a problem," Homendy said. "Fix it. Do better."
Bedford, who took office in July, is overseeing a $12.5 billion rehabilitation of U.S. air traffic control and Duffy wants another $19 billion to complete the job. Bedford, a former airline CEO, was critical of the FAA's culture and leadership before taking office.
The FAA in early May barred the Army from helicopter flights around the Pentagon after a May 1 close call that forced two civilian planes to abort landings. In April, the FAA imposed new restrictions to prevent collisions between helicopters and passenger planes around the busy Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and it has expanded buffer zones at Washington, D.C.-area airports.
Bedford is set to testify before two congressional committees starting Tuesday.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Jamie Freed)
