National Transportation Safety Board chair on airplane close calls

As the aviation system is facing questions after at least six "close call" incidents between airplanes since December, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy acknowledged risks while voicing confidence in the system. "We are still the safest aviation system in the world," Homendy said Sunday. "There are clearly risks that we need to evaluate, and this is why the NTSB is investigating several incidents so it doesn't become something more catastrophic." One of these incidents involved a United Airlines 777 aircraft apparently taking a nosedive after departing from Hawaii. The plane carrying hundreds of passengers from Maui to San Francisco went down to 775 feet above the Pacific Ocean before pilots could regain control. A formal investigation was not opened until two months later, as United reportedly did not report the incident to NTSB because they believed there was no need to as there were no passenger injuries or damage to the aircraft. "The criteria for accidents and incidents is something that we will look at and constantly review," Homendy said. "We didn't have a full investigation of it because it occurred on the same day as another very turbulent event in Hawaii. But it is something that we are investigating."<br/>