Washington – House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bud Shuster today questioned why Little Rock National Airport, the site of a recent deadly airplane crash, did not have modern weather forecasting equipment that could have told pilots that it was not safe to land.

"The American people are investing almost $10 billion a year into the Aviation Trust Fund to have safe airports, yet we continue to hoard the money in Washington," Shuster said. "We need to start investing all of the money that goes into the aviation trust fund so our skies and airports can be as safe as possible."

Shuster said that while the cause of the crash is unclear, investigators are looking into the role gusting winds and rain may have played in the crash. While the Little Rock airport does have the ability to tell pilots of current weather conditions, it lacks the ability to predict an approaching storm.

"One thing we do know is that the weather was bad the night of the crash," Shuster said. "As the plane touched down, it was buffeted by strong wind gusts that may have pushed it off the runway. Landing in bad weather is routine for most pilots, but the weather at the Little Rock airport as the plane landed was evidently unusually bad. I find it hard to believe an experienced pilot would endanger himself and others by knowingly landing in unsafe weather conditions."

Shuster said that there is equipment available, known as the terminal doppler weather radar, that could have given the pilot a more accurate indication of weather in the area. This radar sends out radio waves that are reflected back by dust, raindrops, or other objects floating in the air. A computer at the base of the radar detects dangerous winds and alerts the air traffic controllers whom, in turn, can alert the pilot. This system is predictive in nature.

"Unlike the system at Little Rock now, this radar could warn the pilot in advance that dangerous winds were developing," Shuster said.

When this system was being developed in the mid-eighties, FAA said it would be needed at about 150 airports. Later, they said it would be cost-beneficial at only about 100 airports. But today it has been installed at only 47 airports and no more installations are planned.

"This means that there are almost 500 commercial service airports in this country that do not have terminal doppler weather radar," Shuster said. "Many of them, like Little Rock, are located in ‘tornado alley’ or other areas of the country noted for bad weather.

"There is no reason that airports like Little Rock should be lacking the latest in weather prediction technology," Shuster said. "These radar systems, which run about $6.5 million apiece, could be paid for with funds available in the Aviation Trust Fund. Unfortunately, some in Washington choose to keep the money here rather than investing it in airport safety."