Safety board recommends new measures for Alaska air tours

WASHINGTON (AP) — A board that investigates airplane accidents says federal regulators should tighten rules for air tour operators in Ketchikan, Alaska, to prevent more accidents there. The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that seven tour planes have crashed near Ketchikan since 2007, killing 31 people. The safety board says the Federal Aviation Administration should tighten rules about minimum visibility before flights can take off, and should require more weather training for air tour pilots there. The safety board says the FAA has usually responded to previous safety recommendations with voluntary guidelines that haven’t worked.