By Kristin S. Krause

Journal of Commerce, Inc.

Traffic World

July 1, 2002

The cargo industry will go under the microscope of the National Transportation Safety Board if its all-cargo hearing goes ahead as planned. The hearing tentatively is scheduled for January. NTSB member John J. Goglia, who presided over the recent Emery Worldwide Airlines hearing, told the Cargo Airline Association June 20 that following deadly crashes by Fine Air in 1997 and Emery in 2000 "it became clear that we need to look at the industry."

Typically, the NTSB holds hearings related to crash investigations. While this cargo hearing is not attached to a specific crash, it is an outgrowth of issues that "bubbled up" during a number of investigations, Goglia said. "There are a lot of things that could be cleaned up," Goglia said of the industry. "I'm concerned about the big gaps in standards in the industry."

The Federal Aviation Administration has been working on its own effort to tighten operating procedures among the disparate cargo industry players, but that work and information hasn't been provided to the NTSB nor has it asked for it, Goglia said.

Goglia praised the operations of FedEx Express and United Parcel Service and asked for their input to help make the hearing a good one. "I wish everyone operated like FedEx and UPS," he said.

Goglia was not so kind to Emery in his remarks. "The Emery hearing should have been over by now but there was too much lawyering and posturing. The people weren't being truthful," Goglia said of the hearing into the cause of the February 2000 crash. "We know what the problems are and they were trying to massage it in another way and that doesn't work."

The board is awaiting further depositions of lower-level Emery employees to fill in gaps left in the testimony given on May 9 and 10 before the board makes any formal recommendations to the FAA.

Emery spokesperson Nancy Colvert said the company was "sad that a United States official would make such obviously biased comments about the sworn testimony of our witnesses."