Comments on: Adrift: Hot-air balloon pilots face little scrutiny from FAA despite higher crash rates https://johntedesco.net/blog/2017/03/11/adrift-hot-air-balloon-pilots-faced-little-scrutiny-from-faa-before-deadly-crash-near-lockhart-texas/ Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:23:35 +0000 hourly 1 By: John Tedesco https://johntedesco.net/blog/2017/03/11/adrift-hot-air-balloon-pilots-faced-little-scrutiny-from-faa-before-deadly-crash-near-lockhart-texas/#comment-68004 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 02:12:26 +0000 https://www.johntedesco.net/blog/?p=12063#comment-68004 In reply to Al Nominus.

Thanks for the comment, that’s a good point about the different responses from Congress. We had a follow-up story that touched on those points: http://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/After-deadly-Lockhart-balloon-crash-Congress-10999062.php?cmpid=twitter-premium. Thanks for reading.

]]> By: Al Nominus https://johntedesco.net/blog/2017/03/11/adrift-hot-air-balloon-pilots-faced-little-scrutiny-from-faa-before-deadly-crash-near-lockhart-texas/#comment-68001 Tue, 14 Mar 2017 12:57:24 +0000 https://www.johntedesco.net/blog/?p=12063#comment-68001 John… great article on the Lockhart tragedy. I lived the tragedy by your sensitive account and was saddened. I note that our Representative Doggett has a keen interest and encouraged the FAA to increase oversight which it seems reluctant to do. After the Colgan crash, Congress investigated and compelled the FAA to develop the “ATP Rule.” Does the Congressman or any Texas legislator have any interest in launching a hearing compelling all sides to testify not so much on the cause of the accident but the way forward? What is the so-called “burden” that the BFA addresses? Why is the FAA reluctant to bring commercial balloon operations to the same level of safety of airplane and helicopters? Too much of an annoyance? Maybe Congress should ask the question and take a hard look. Can the paper plant the seed? A nice editorial!
Thanks.

From Wikipedia…

United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, commerce, and international issues. All programs of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) except for research activities, are within the purview of the Subcommittee.

The Aviation Subcommittee is also traditionally the lead subcommittee with jurisdiction over the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and other transportation accidents.

Members, 115th Congress Edit

Frank LoBiondo, New Jersey, Chairman
Don Young, Alaska
Jimmy Duncan, Tennessee
Sam Graves, Missouri
Duncan D. Hunter, California
Blake Farenthold, Texas
Daniel Webster, Florida
Jeff Denham, California
Thomas Massie, Kentucky
Mark Meadows, North Carolina
Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Rodney L. Davis, Illinois
Mark Sanford, South Carolina
Rob Woodall, Georgia
Todd Rokita, Indiana
Barbara Comstock, Virginia
Doug LaMalfa, California
Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Paul Mitchell, Michigan, Vice Chair
Jason Lewis, Minnesota
Rick Larsen, Washington, Ranking Member
Eddie Bernice Johnson, Texas
Daniel Lipinski, Illinois
André Carson, Indiana
Cheri Bustos, Illinois
Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia
Dina Titus, Nevada
Sean Patrick Maloney, New York
Julia Brownley, California
Donald Payne Jr., New Jersey
Brenda Lawrence, Michigan
Mike Capuano, Massachusetts
Grace Napolitano, California
Steve Cohen, Tennessee
Hank Johnson, Georgia
Rick Nolan, Minnesota
Ex officio

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