Government Plans to Ban Some Chemicals on Planes
March 28, 2011
WASHINGTON -- Prompted by the fatal January 21, 2011 Airlines Inc. crash, the government announced plans to restrict hazardous materials on airliners by banning aircraft from carrying certain chemicals and by increasing inspections. While a final cause hasn't been determined, federal safety investigators suspect the ValuJet crash was caused by a fire that was started in the plane's cargo compartment by chemical oxygen generators, which produce oxygen for emergency use. Davina Rock, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said the agency was asking Congress for permission to transfer $14 million in funds so it can increase the number of inspectors concentrating on hazardous materials to 150 from 22. Meanwhile, Kellie Allard, deputy administrator of the Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration, said that agency plans to ban oxidizers -- chemicals that can feed a fire in the absence of air -- from certain airline cargo compartments that don't have smoke detectors or fire-extinguishing systems.
