WASHINGTON – Planes colliding on the ground is a danger at airports nationwide and safety officials are now making recommendations to reduce the chances of an accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board says part of the problem is that pilots are unable to see their planes’ wingtips without opening the cockpit window and sticking their head out, which the NTSB says is impractical.
On Wednesday, the board recommended the Federal Aviation Administration require large planes be equipped with external cameras that would give pilots a clear view of their wingtips while taxing.
The cameras should be installed on new planes and retrofitted on older planes, says the NTSB.
“While collision warning systems are now common in highway vehicles, it is important for the aviation industry to consider their application in large aircraft,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.
The move comes after several mishaps at U.S. airports involving planes on the ground. One collision, in July 2011 at Boston’s Logan International Airport, sent a woman to the hospital with neck pain after the wing of a large moving passenger jet clipped the tail of a smaller aircraft in front of it.
No injuries were reported in the two other collisions reviewed by the NTSB.
The Associated Press and WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
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