The Bingham Bill
THE BINGHAM BILL REPLYING to Senator Bingham's criticism of the Department of Commerce for failure to give adequate publicity to the causes of airplane accidents, Assistant Secretary Young has...
...He cites the recent report issued by the Aeronautics Branch in which all but 4.73 percent of the accidents in the first six months of 1929 were accounted for...
...We are told that the airplane companies resent safety legislation...
...Irresponsibility will...
...It is a very poor policy...
...In the past year there has been more than one instance of a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence after an accident before newspapermen or the representatives of the Department of Commerce could arrive on the scene...
...eventually they had to submit...
...Mystery will...
...Aviation has its full share of woes in this country...
...And this has happened at some of our best-known airports...
...It is not a particularly direct and satisfactory answer...
...THE BINGHAM BILL REPLYING to Senator Bingham's criticism of the Department of Commerce for failure to give adequate publicity to the causes of airplane accidents, Assistant Secretary Young has declared that the air commerce act makes no provision "To conduct formal hearings, subpoena witnesses, take testimony under oath or engage in any other practice necessary to bring out the pertinent facts underlying accidents...
...Accidents will not hurt the flying business, more than temporarily...
...if its prospects for 1930 are none too bright, we are sympathetic, but why deny that the airplane companies themselves are partly responsible for such a condition...
...at least their recent convention is reported to have adopted a resolution opposing regulation...
...Although he makes no reference to Senator Bingham's bill, which would give the Department full authority to make formal investigation of flying accidents, and compel publication of the findings whenever damage has been done, the tone of his statement leaves no doubt that he is opposed to it...
...He says, "Injustices to individuals could very easily result were the information, thus developed in individual cases, released for consideration in the light of legal technicalities, contributory negligence phases, and proximate and remote causes, rather than for the practical deductions of thoroughly experienced aviation personnel, for the purpose of applying remedial measures in future operations...
...At the same time he is satisfied that the Department's investigations are providing information which will help manufacturers and operators to eliminate accidents, which is all that the Department should be qualified to undertake...
...But the railroads never had to overcome such a general timidity toward their service as is and has been the chief obstacle to prosperity for aviation.on...
...There is no good reason why we should baby the airplane companies in this way...
...eventually such immunities will be to its disadvantage, for they do not help to inspire public confidence...
...The railroads got by with such high-handedness for years...
...The principle enunciated here would give airplane companies an immunity which we do not extend to shipping lines, although the modern ship is the safest instrument of travel ever devised...
Vol. 11 • February 1930 • No. 15
