CLE needs Airport SMS to reach FAA AIP discretionary $$$; call us soon Director Francis
On May 24, 2023, Mayor Justin Bibb announced he’s hiring Bryant L. Francis as the city’s director of port control, a position that oversees Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport and Burke Lakefront Airport. The mayor pointed to Mr. Francis’ 26 years of airport work1 as preparation to tackle CLE’s “major overhaul of its terminal and concourses as part of an existing master plan that could cost $2 billion.” Such an aviation professional had likely researched his new facility’s history, in particular its relationship with the FAA. Here are the likely results of his study:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been investigating the operations safety at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport since March 2022. The FAA has issued THREE LETTERS OF INVESTIGATION since then, raising questions about winter operations training, operating ground vehicles, and airport firefighting. The investigations were initiated after reports of a construction vehicle under escort failing to yield to a taxiing aircraft, and an airport vehicle entering a runway without clearance from air traffic control. The FAA has closed two of the cases with no penalties or fines, while one case remains open. The FAA has also received a complaint regarding snow removal concerns at the airport, which is currently under review.
The below recent Fox-81 team report indicates that the past problems have not been completely resolved. The FAA has flagged CLE for the airport management’s continuing failure to fix the critical hotline between the ATCT and the airport’s fire and rescue squads.
This does not appear to be an insignificant item; however, the City’s response (see below) does not reflect the sense of urgency that an airport which has adopted SAFETY CULTURE must convey. It is likely that the FAA will not be impressed, maybe even satisfied, with such a “It-takes-time” answer.
The Mayor may have thought that Francis’s appointment was to lead the spending of AIP dollars on Hopkins’ improvement. Indubitably some of the federal funding needed for that package of federal grants will include discretionary dollars. As that term conveys, the disbursements under this category DEPENDS on a positive relationship with the FAA, especially the AIP recipient’s safety attitude.
The good news is that Mr. Francis has the background to improve this unfortunate situation. Further, as the new Director, he may be more willing to open up past problems, practices, and policies to a thorough review. The mechanism which the FAA has established for comprehensive review of all aviation organizations and recently specifically 14 CFR Part 139 airports is called SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (SMS).
While the FAA written concern is pointed at a telephone line, a simple narrow, expedited response may relieve the FAA’s immediate pressure point. Bad approach:
- First, the 20-month line of FAA inquiries signals that they want CLE to take its safety more seriously,
- Second, CLE’s claim that “Safety and security are the number one priority” does not comport with the city’s inability to fix this safety critical communications link NOW.
- The tone of the City’s press release suggests that the SMS Safety Culture has not reached to the top of this municipal government.
- Hanging over this critical ATCT to fire and rescue is the FAA’s AIP grant team’s view of the worthiness of CLE’s management to be granted discretionary dollars!!!
Mr. Francis, you need to find a subject matter expert to inculcate SAFETY CULTURE into all who are involved with, make decisions about, and speak for Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport!!! Likely there are knowledgeable safety professionals on your staff, but this SMS education assignment must be led by an experienced, independent team who can speak with the level of authority that will convert the skeptics, will instill the spirit among the CLE team, and guide the SMS process to a fruitful, reliable set of safety priorities. The team’s work product will impress the FAA Airports staff that Mr. Francis has installed a top-to-bottom Safety Culture and should receive the AIP discretionary grants!!!
I-Team: FAA orders Hopkins to fix ‘critical’ phone line
by: Ed Gallek, Peggy Gallek
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CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has found Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has been ordered to fix a key piece of safety equipment which, for years, has only been working some of the time.
The Federal Aviation Administration wants THE “CRASH PHONE” FIXED.
That phone serves as an emergency line and alert system that allows workers in the control tower to call for airport fire and rescue squads without dialing. It can be critical if there’s a crash or other major incident, or if an aircraft is in trouble. Records released to the I-Team show the FAA wrote up the crash phone after a recent inspection. But an air traffic manager in the control tower also recently sent an e-mail to the chief of staff for Mayor Justin Bibb.
The memo said no one can count on an emergency line called the “crash phone.” That serves as a way for the tower to call airport firefighters without dialing. “The system is severely unreliable,” the air traffic manager wrote, adding that it’s “constantly out of service.” “We never know if the system will work,” she added. The e-mail went on to say that this has been an “ongoing issue for several years,” and it’s “only getting worse.”
After the recent inspection, the FAA noted the city has put in place a temporary fix, so no enforcement action was taken. But the city must have the system permanently fixed by March.
When we first reported on this, we shared the information with a flight attendant. “It’s pretty scary,” she said. “We are safety professionals, and we expect our passengers to be safe. Knowing in the back of our head that our airport might not be completely safe? It’s not fair.”
We also turned to Robert Katz, a commercial pilot and flight instructor. He’s been a pilot more than 40 years.” It’s as critical as it gets,” Katz said. He pointed out you can’t rely on someone calling 911 if something happens on the airfield. In fact, that e-mail from the tower also said: “The seconds that we waste could make all the difference.” Katz added, “It strikes me as unconscionable that something like this could fall through the cracks. There needs to be an open line 24-7 between the tower and the facilities on the airport. ”The Hopkins airport fire department sits at the end of a road almost in the shadow of the control tower.
The city also issued a statement earlier.
“Safety and security are the number one priority at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. We are aware of the email you mentioned. We take GREAT PRIDE IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR REGULATORY PARTNERS. We can assure you that the longer-term improvements to this system are in process and will be IMPLEMENTED AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE. The status of the procurement was much further along than stated in the email you are referencing in your inquiry. Although upgrades are being made to the current system, there has always been a contingency plan in place, which is approved by the FAA.”
