Wave of plane crashes sparks aviation safety fears as expert warns 'now is not the time to cut corners'
In an exclusive with the Mirror, two aviation safety experts say that while the system 'works' the recent incidents have flared up an existing issue that the air travel industry has been dealing with for years - and one they fear will get worse with the recent threats of cuts
As the U.S. public is beginning to a pattern of aviation incidents, from urban crashes to runaway fires to the latest disappearing plane off the coast of Nome, Alaska, some are starting to wonder if this is a pattern that will continue, and moreover, is it safe to get on an airplane?
Largely, airline experts say absolutely, yes. Despite the 'dramatic' occurrences that have killed dozens in the last few weeks, two aviation safety experts interviewed by the Mirror echoed that statement.
However, while both said they'd get on a plane today with confidence, they do see these incidents as cause for concern. "This is not a time to be cutting stuff and to be laying people off," says Dr. Daniel Adjekum, who has over 25 years of experience in aviation Safety management systems, aircraft accident investigations, and crew resource management.
Dr. Hassan Shahidi, President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, agreed that changes needed to be made for the utmost safety.
READ MORE: F-35 erupts into giant fireball after crashing at Alaska airbase in terrifying videoREAD MORE: Airport worker critically injured after plane's wing slams into tug truck at Chicago O’HareThe comments come as the Associated Press reported that air traffic control staff also got the email suggesting they take President Donald Trump's buyout offer, sent by Elon Musk and his team of 20-something year old cronies in a bid to cut federal spending by cutting staff in all departments - sometimes entire departments.
Dr. Shahidi explained, "I think when we look at our system fundamentally, there isn't anything wrong with the air transportation system in the U.S. That said, there are concerns and we can talk about those concerns - but generally, in 2024 we had a billion people travel by air in the U.S. Thousands of airplanes depart and land every day, with trained pilots and air traffic controllers who are doing their jobs well. But that said, there are concerns."
"There have been these close calls that we have experienced over the past 2 years," Shahidi goes on. "And... generally, the concern has been over the past two years is short staffing on air traffic controllers."
"Certain facilities in the airports didn't have enough qualified air traffic controllers in those positions, and the FAA has been working to try to get those numbers back up, but still, there's a lot more that needs to be done to increase qualified air traffic controllers at certain facilities," Shahidi warns.
There’s no evidence that the White House effort to downsize government played any role in the collision, with shortages of air traffic controllers long predating Trump taking office. But those who’ve worked in air safety say that those who try to dramatically shake up the federal workforce need to remember that lives are on the line.
Dr. Shahidi also says that he has seen the FAA take action to stop some of these accidents, which have to do not just with air traffic control, but also technology updates, poor communication, sometimes outdated communication tech, and 'loss of spacial awareness.'
"There have been actions taken on the part of the FAA and the aviation community to try to stem the tide on these and the runway incursion issues are getting better. However, one runway incursion, one serious runway incursion is one too many. There is a lot that needs to be done," continues Dr. Shahidi, stressing that the potential loss of life continue to be taken seriously by these agencies.
Dr. Adjecum, who was also a former Ghana Air Force squadron commander (VVIP Fleet), before becoming a professor at the University of North Dakota, adds, "The directing principles which translate into policies and procedures and practices should be geared up towards safety and economic efficiency. These are the two key things."
Unfortunately, on Thursday, as the investigation into the crash was well underway, FAA employees were among the federal workers who received an email telling them to quit and find more useful work, as the memo from OPM stated that the only way to reach peak 'American Prosperity' was to move from 'lower productivity jobs' for the government, to private sector jobs.
With decades working in aviation, Dr. Adjecum explains: "You want to make sure that our national air safety or air infrastructure, whether it's air traffic services, whether it's air carrier operation... has the most updated technology. And that is a budgetary issue. What is the state of the budget for improving technology? That makes a big difference, right?"
"You shouldn't be cutting budgets, especially with increasing air traffic. It means you need the most up-to-date technology for the detection of traffic or what we call 'air traffic management flow,' to be able to separate the aircraft and to do it efficiently so that it also reduces delays at airports," Dr. Adjecum continues.
"It requires new technology. Now you bring in technology, you have to get qualified and competent personnel that are well-trained because if the technology is there and the people are not well trained, then it doesn't work."
"It's not only well-trained, but they [have to be] well compensated so that intrinsically, psychologically, socially, they are motivated. I come to work. I am not thinking about the fact that I'm not going to be paid or I'm going to be laid off. They need that clarity of mind to be able to use the technology to ensure that we are safe."
"So that is the second point. Human resources. We need more people, especially aviation safety inspectors. We are talking about folks in D.C., administrative oversight, and a whole lot of stuff. This is not a time to be cutting stuff and to be laying people off," Dr. Adjecum explains.
Though the new administration insists its cost-cutting will exempt public safety workers and keep citizens safe, during the campaign, Musk demanded the resignation of FAA administrator Michael Whitaker, who clashed with Musk over regulating SpaceX and stepped down the day before Trump took office.
That left the FAA leaderless until this week when Trump, at a Thursday press conference after the crash, named an acting head of the agency. Trump appointed Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year FAA veteran, as acting administrator of the agency.
Though Trump blamed DEI and decried an FAA diversity policy that existed during his first administration, Dr. Shahidi told the Mirror that there are plenty of barriers to getting together enough of the right personnel, and it had more to do with retirement limits, salaries, and the length of training.
"There's a mandatory retirement at age 56, so that's certainly a law that makes it more difficult to attract in New York, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, etc. So there are those constraints. Secondly, it takes two to three years, even if you start tomorrow, to hire a person and get them enough training and qualifications to be in that position," says Dr. Shahidi. So, even if hundreds of thousands of people apply tomorrow, we won't see the results for years.
However, despite these issues, both experts assure that these are problems that occur with any business and any industry - though we must not let them become common.
"The thing here is that unlike automobile accidents, which normally involve maybe a couple of casualties, maybe one or two. But most of the time air crashes tend to be very dramatic and because of the graphic nature of the whole incident, with so many being mass death events. It sparks a lot of media attention. It tends to create a lot of psychological trauma," explains Dr. Adjecum.
"I'm not discounting the fact that we are having successive accidents taking place, but they do happen, especially with the smaller ones in what we call general aviation. And so that is why we never rest, you know, as safety professionals, we are always looking at what's next. So maybe with these recurring accidents, it's a sign to us policyholders as well as safety professionals that, probably, the system is becoming overstretched and we have some vulnerabilities," finished Dr. Adjecum.