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 portion of approach charts for terrain-impacted airports only. The FAA also stated its belief that the addition of contour lines and tinting to IFR en route charts has not been supported by users and industry personnel and that sufficient information on en route charts obviates the need for such changes. Further, the FAA stated that overlaying additional information into charts that already contained a considerable amount of information could diminish the clarity of existing information on those charts.

On September 3, 1998, the Safety Board stated that the points the FAA raised with regard to adding information to en route charts were valid. However, the Board noted that these concerns did not apply to terminal navigation charts and approach charts. The Safety Board continued to believe that the FAA should do all it can to enhance pilots' situational awareness regarding proximity to terrain and that adding readily interpretable terrain information to navigation charts would be an economical way to accomplish this goal.

The Safety Board indicated that it would await FAA action regarding approach charts after the efforts of Task Group 31 were completed. Because the FAA appeared unwilling to require that terminal charts graphically portray terrain information to help prevent CFIT accidents, Safety Recommendation A-96-102 was classified "Open-- Unacceptable Response."

On July 7, 1999, the FAA stated that it met with the Safety Board on March 12, 1999, to clarify the intent of this safety recommendation and discuss the issue of adding terrain contours to all charts. At this meeting, the FAA indicated that it would consider placing terrain contours only on en route area charts. According to the FAA, this plan was proposed in April 1999 at the Government/Industry Aeronautical Charting Forum, which endorsed the proposal. The FAA stated that it was developing funding requirements with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and that, pending funding approval, it would submit a requirements document to the Interagency Air Cartographic Committee to amend the chart specifications to add terrain contours to en route area charts. The FAA also stated that it was planning to add terrain contours on instrument approach procedure charts for terrain-impacted airports.

On September 24, 1999, the Safety Board stated that, on the basis of the FAA's commitment to consider adding terrain contours to en route area charts only, Safety Recommendation A-96-102 was classified "OpenAcceptable Alternate Response."

Safety Recommendation A-96-106 asked the FAA to

Revise Advisory Circular 120-51B to include specific guidance on methods to effectively train pilots to recognize cues that indicate that they have not obtained situational awareness, and provide effective measures to obtain that awareness.

On December 31, 1996, the FAA stated that it would fund a research project to determine cues that flight crewmembers could readily recognize to indicate situational awareness problems. According to the FAA, this project would focus on developing specific cues for situational awareness in automated cockpits. The FAA indicated that, as soon as this project was completed, it would revise AC 120-51B to include guidance on