Editorial: Air safety proposals a good start

Monday, March 29, 1999 | 12:38 p.m.

Despite its recommendation, the NTSB sought to reassure travelers that the 737 still is a safe aircraft. The key is how to make it even safer. If there is a workhorse in commercial aviation, it is the 737. There are more than 3,000 in use worldwide, with about 1,300 flying in this nation (the NTSB order only affects airliners in the United States).

The Federal Aviation Administration already has required rudder fixes to better the safety margin, but the NTSB concluded that the 737's rudder controls can't assure that the plane can be safely landed in the event there is a rudder failure. Despite the NTSB's recommendation, both Boeing and the FAA indicated they weren't sure what more could be done to improve safety.

The NTSB didn't offer a prescription on how to fix the rudder problem. The board instead is leaving it up to the FAA to figure out how it should be accomplished. The board contends that the failure of just one valve could compromise the rudder controls.

The 737 may have a solid safety record, but the airliner's growing popularity should make the federal government take seriously any potential problems that exist. NTSB recommendations aren't binding on the FAA, but the FAA should return to the drawing board and evaluate with an open mind to see whether or not there are ways to improve the 737's safety. The flying public deserves nothing less.