Executive Briefing

This briefing is designed as a stand alone briefing for Airline Senior Executives / CEOs.

Minor text amendments following review at Cario CAAG meeting. DJG 30 Mar 2002

The Balance of Risk

Business depends on the balance of risks, often accomplished by the fine judgement of financial strategy. But have you considered the financial consequences from poorly judged flight safety strategy ? Could your operation survive an Approach and Landing Accident; would it change the financial balance ? Could it happen to you ?

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Why
This briefing examines the need for management attention to the flight safety aspects of approach and landing accidents (ALA). Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) together with ALA account for the highest number of fatalities and aircraft hull losses respectively. The Flight Safety Foundation has produced a training aid the Approach and Landing Accident Reduction Tool Kit. All pilots should be aware of the contents of this safety aid. Awareness of the risks and provision of training to combat the threat are the primary management tools in risk reduction.

What can you do ?

Fit a Terrain Awareness System (TAWS) to all aircraft.
> TAWS will be the mandatory fit for all aircraft in 2005. However there will be at least 5 approach accidents or CFIT in each year before then. Fitting TAWS immediately will give insurance against an Approach and Landing Accident.

Adopt the advice and procedures from the ALAR Tool Kit
as your company policy.
> Adherence to procedures is another safety tool; but first you need to publish procedures.

Ensure that CFIT and ALAR training is available and

given.
> An audit checks that procedures are in place; an inspection ensures that procedures are being followed.

Fit TAWS
TAWS is the latest generation of safety awareness
avionics. Most systems use an extensive terrain database against which the aircraft position and altitude is compared. If an aircraft exceeds predetermined limits the crew are given both audio and visual warnings.

Fitting TAWS to all of your aircraft may appear to be expensive. How much will an accident cost?

Advice and Procedures

Simple rules and procedures can give protection against
accidents.

Require that all approaches use precision or precision like approach aids. Fly the final approach with a stabilised flight path. If the approach to land is not going as anticipated then require the crew to go around. It is better financial judgement to have a safe arrival before an on time arrival. Promote the safety concept that it is OK to go around.

Standard Operating Procedures

Where a task is conducted safely write it down for
others to follow; this is the basis of producing Standard Operating Procedures - SOPs.

SOPs can reduce risks during flight operations. They must be the basis of training and checking. They enhance crew co-ordination and communication. Where both pilots are aware of the company limits, the monitoring pilot knows when and how to alert the operating pilot, this enables optimum cockpit resource management.

Give an Approach Briefing

The crew are expected to brief the passengers before
arrival; ensure that the crew brief themselves about the expected approach, the airfield, the weather or terrain hazards. An approach briefing gives the crew a common understanding of how the approach and landing is expected to progress

Use the Radio Altimeter

Radio Altimeters are valuable awareness tools.
Approach procedures are constructed such that adequate terrain clearance is provided during the approach and landing. Ensure that the crew call when the instrument first indicates. Always call 1000ft and 500ft above terrain; if these calls come at an unexpected time the crew should be aware of an error. It could be someone elses error

Training
85% of aircraft accidents are due to human error, but
human error is manageable. Multiple crew members are employed to give redundancy and cross check each other; ensure that they are trained for their tasks.

Poor judgement or lack of decision making are often

circumstantial causes of accidents. These mental attributes such as thinking are skills thus can be taught and improved by practice.
All skills can be trained and improved. When TAWS or GPWS gives the alert Pull Up then Pull Up.

Audits and Inspection

In the same way as you would audit financial
performance then audit the operational performance, the policies, procedures and practice. Use management tools such as FOQA or LOSA.

FOQA Flight Operations Quality Assurance is a process of routinely monitoring aircraft data for abnormal operation. This tells you what is happening in your airline. LOSA Line Operations Safety Assessment is a human overview of the operation, the procedures, and the people. This tells you why things are happening in your airline.

The Cost of an Accident ?

11 Killed 11 Killed Damaged Damaged reputation reputation

Airline ceased Airline ceased operations operations

Aircraft written Aircraft written off off

Use the FSF ALAR Tool Kit

Use the ALAR Tool Kit to Use the ALAR Tool Kit to balance the risks; balance the risks; ensure that an approach ensure that an approach and landing accident does and landing accident does not happen to you. not happen to you.

The ALAR Tool Kit is available on CD-ROM from the

Flight Safety Foundation

Suite 300, 601 Madison Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1756 U.S. Telephone: +1 (703) 739-6700 Fax: +1 (703) 739-6708 www.flightsafety.org