WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington said airplanes should be outfitted with cameras to avoid collisions while taxiing.
The NTSB's recommendation extends to all large airplanes and holds that external mounted cameras will allow pilots to better see where they're driving the plane -- and whether anything is in the way. Currently pilots cannot see the plane's wingtip without literally sticking their heads out the window of the cockpit, which the NTSB notes is "often impractical."
"A system that can provide real-time information on wingtip clearance in relation to other obstacles will give pilots of large airplanes an essential tool when taxiing," NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a statement. "While collision warning systems are now common in highway vehicles, it is important for the aviation industry to consider their application in large aircraft."
The agency noted three recent accidents where pilots taxiing struck another plane. The group recommended the Federal Aviation Administration require all large planes be retrofitted with the cameras and new ones to come with them already installed.
