Government and Politics Issues

GAO Report: FAA Gives Pilots Poor Weather Data

A passenger sitting in the cabin of a jet can call up better weather information on a laptop computer than is available to the pilot in the cockpit, according to testimony given to General Accounting Office analysts.

Although technological advances have given forecasters a better understanding of weather conditions, the Federal Aviation Administration does a poor job of providing pilots with crucial weather information, according to a GAO report.

  • About 30 percent of air carrier accidents stem from weather problems -- with more than 80 percent of general aviation accidents caused by weather.

  • The report said meteorologists at regional air traffic centers seldom share information with air traffic controllers nearby.

  • The FAA spends about 5 percent of its budget on weather-related research and equipment, and experts say the problem is not the result of a lack of data -- but getting it to the pilots.

  • The report charged that weather was low on the agency's list of priorities.

Viewers sitting at home and watching weather news on television reportedly have better information than pilots, the report said.

Sources: "FAA Has Not Fully Implemented Weather-Related Recommendations," GAO/RCED-98-130, June 2, 1998, General Accounting Office, Washington, D.C. 20548; Fred Bayles, "Report: Pilots Get Worse Weather Data Than Public," USA Today, June 3, 1998.

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