Aviation Safety Program: Accident Prevention Policies and Regulations - Essay Example

Aviation Safety Program: Accident Prevention Policies and Regulations Introduction Aviation safety [probably] is the most crucial issues that the aviation industry and other concerned government and non-government agencies must scrutinize and consider in an in-depth manner to ensure an air transportation that will bring people, equipments and other things from one destination to another safely. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been working in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Defense, and the companies of the aviation industry to focus on the NASA Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) which is generally aimed at “reducing fatal aircraft accident rate by 80 percent in 10 years and 90 percent in 25 years” (Allen, 2008). This program is set out to direct improvements about specific regulatory policies on accident prevention, accident mitigation and aviation monitoring and modeling to make, as Rugg (2010) has emphasized, “an already safe air transportation system even safer.” Other agencies such as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are a program initiated by the government for the same purpose as well. In connection, this paper will focus on the aspect of accident prevention and its importance to the implementation of the aviation safety program created by the agencies mentioned above; and to employ certain development in which consideration of the past, present and future changes is needed. To do so, a portion will be spared for the review of the history of aviation travels, and the accidents connected to it, and also point out the desired aviation safety policies needed to assist in reaching the visions as stated. History of Aviation Travel One of the earliest concepts of air travelling was designed by the Montgolfier brothers in the late 18th century as they saw the possibility of navigating the air (Turner, 1931, p. 170). A few experimentation and months later, a huge balloon was flown using hot air. The balloon, called the Montgolfier balloon, later had carried a maximum of seven passengers into the sky; and gathered both positive and negative feedback from the public (“World Aviation in 1783,” n.d.). After more than two decades, Sir George Cayley, known as the “Father of Aerial Navigation,” discussed the basic yet very significant principles used in flying things in an article titled “On Aerial Navigation” (Berliner, 1997, pp. 54-55); and also started to use his own ideas in the experimentations about flying he did in the years later. By the early 20th century, according to Andrews (2009), aviation travel experimenters concentrated on inventing aerial carriers which can allow humans to travel safely and with longer distance. They did so by manipulating engines and motor types (Andrews, 2009, pp. 25-26). These developments commenced in Europe and were later brought to the United States. Airplanes were then used to transport people and even mails; and as the World War I emerged between the years 1914 and 1919, the author said that the benefits of aviation also expanded into military use of warplanes. Later, Ford and Lockheed Company became interested and started to produce commercial air carriers. Years after, names of Byrd, Bennett, Lindbergh, Herndon, Pangborn, Earhart (the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and got lost in an attempt to fly across the Pacific Ocean), Post and others appeared by flying the first manned and longest travels ever recorded in the early history of aviation and proved that pursuit to safe aviation travels was succeeding. In addition, improvements such as the auto and gyro pilots to prevent pilot fatigue during long flights were also introduced (Andrews, 2009, pp. 26- 27). When the World War II came to view, combat jet planes from Germany and the US were invented. During the time, Douglas DC-3 and 4 and the Lockheed Constellations were used as the first few transport planes of the world; increase in interest in commercial and other multipurpose planes grew in the second half of the 20th century (Andrew, 2009, p. 27). Currently, Boeing, Airbus, McDonnell-Douglas, and other companies that produce aircrafts for private and commercial use, along with those that supply aircrafts to the government for military purposes are continually producing and improving aircraft models and other devices that suit government set guidelines for an even safer air trips for present and future consumers (“Commercial Aviation Crash,” n.d.; “Military Aviation,” n.d.). History of Aviation Accidents Along with the improvements of plane structures, engines and the use of aerodynamic principles come an array of aircraft accidents resulting from factors that are either uncontrollable or must have had been controlled. According to Kapustin (2001), the first recorded fatal accident that involved a powered aircraft happened in the middle of a demonstration flight in an afternoon of the year 1908 (pp. 159-160). As a result, Kapustin (2001) pointed out that “the first phase in the development of transportation accident investigation technology” was initiated to answer why the first fatal accident happened (p. 160). In the following years until the present, the history has been filled with thousands of aviation disasters both in the field of commercial and military use; killing thousands of people as well. A few of the known and loathsome aviation disasters in the history include the September 11, 2001 hijacked airplanes that hit New York’s World Trade Center, Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania, killing almost 3, 000 people; the Pan Am crash back in 1977 with 583 casualties; and the Japan Air Lines that hit Mt. Osutaka in Japan which killed more than 500 crew and passengers on board (“100 Worst,” n.d.). Latest accident recorded in a plane crash accident database just happened few days ago. It involved an Antonov AN-2 aircraft model of the Romanian Air Force and had 12 fatalities (“Recent Accidents,” 2010). Please see Table 1 in Appendix A for the recorded total number of aviation accidents and deaths for the years 1988 to 1997 in the United States, an official record as per reported by the NTSB. The data, moreover, was analyzed by the US General Accounting Office to see statistical relationships (United States General Accounting Office, 2000, p. 9). Most Common Causes of Aviation Accidents Making, reconstructing, and flying an aircraft requires expertise and skills to balance its essentially complex system. “Its operation within the environment and the air traffic control system adds to this complexity” (McCormick, 2003, p.1). These and other factors simply add up and make aviation prone to many accidents. According to studies, the most common causes of aviation accidents are divided into the categories of human errors, aircraft failures and the weather condition; sometimes, the most fatal accidents are caused by the combination of any two or more of these categories (US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 1988, p. 96). Thorough intervention and investigations must be conducted by the appropriate people, organizations and agencies “to determine the probable causes of transportation accidents and to recommend preventive measures” (US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 1988, p. 95). Human Errors. Despite the sensitivity of the topic, human errors are nevertheless a significant aspect of the picture that must be considered in analyzing accident causations which will pave way to identifying relevant steps in preventing further and fatal accidents in aviation. These errors are almost always blamed on the part of the pilots. However, the human errors perspective as a cause of aviation accidents is a broad aspect that comprises not only the aircrew or the pilots but also accounts even any minute mistake on the part of the flight attendants, and the ground operation, dispatch, air traffic control, and maintenance personnel who are tasked with all their specific activities. This is according to the psychosocial standpoint of analyzing human errors (Wiegmann & Shappell, 2003, p. 34). Factors like weather and mechanical issues, and the physiological and psychological conditions of the pilots are also major concepts that are thought to contribute to aircrew/pilot errors. Pilot errors are the topmost of the causes of the aviation accidents from the 1950s to the current decade as pointed out by the PlaneCrashInfo.com, a plane crash database (“Causes of Fatal,” n.d.). Wiegmann, Shappell, Boquet, Detwiler, Holcomb and Faaborg (2005) prepared the Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) framework (Figure 1) that is shown in Appendix B which demonstrates the relationship of these factors. Aircraft Failures. Mechanical failure is the primary cause of the ten percent of the total number of aviation accidents recorded in history; and those that have unknown causes, which comprises a significant 30% are linked to mechanical failures as well (Wingate, Russotti, & Shapiro, n.d.). Although it is sometimes related to human error, aircraft mechanical failure is considered as a separate cause as the collapse in any of the physical, internal and external structures, and the systems that must be in tune with specific aerodynamic principles can occur independently and cause even more fatal accidents. These failures can include the propulsion system that serves as the power transmitter needed to elevate the machine; its fuel and control system; the possible structural and mechanical failures; the age of the aircraft which determines its condition in terms of fatigue and corrosion; the design and its components which must have been engineered based on safety and applicability; the electrical systems malfunctions that triggers fire aside from its disabling effect on the aircraft; and even the ever complicated flight controls worsened by technology (Papadakis, 2003, pp. 121-123). Weather Conditions. Weather is an integral part that helps dictate whether it would be or is safe to fly or not. According to Buck (1998), the reasons why can simply be explained in a non-technical way. He wrote that for pilots, bad weather “prevents us from seeing; it bounces us around to the extent the it may be difficult to keep the airplane under control and in one piece; and ice, wind, or large temperature variations may reduce the airplane’s performance to a serious degree” (p. 1). It is indeed critical that pilots, air traffic controllers and the rest of those who give permission to every flight to check the weather stations’ forecast specifically the temperature which imposes air and water characteristics, the season and time of day, the geographical features of the route, the wind and the clouds (Buck, 19998, p. vii). Then again, these people themselves must have an exceptional ability for judgment because in their hands lie not only the care of a multi-million-dollar-flying machine but most importantly, the safety of its passengers; and once a plane has taken off while the bad weather is only about to come, the dependable decision of the pilot and the rest of the aircrew will always be the best defense against any threat of accident it can cause. Others. Sabotage on the engines or hijacking which are criminal in nature and represent the passengers’ share of causing an accident may also be reasons why flights are not able to reach their destinations safely. The 9/11 terrorist attack where four air carriers were hijacked is the strongest evidence to this. Other reasons such as bird strike, mid-air collisions, and descent and landing factors can also be accountable for an accident (“Causes and Common,” n.d.). Please see Figure 2 in Appendix B. The data in an annual report of the National Transportation Safety Board in 2005 show that the landing phase in all the phases of a flight is the most prone to accidents; fatality rate, fortunately, is low (National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB], 2009, p. 35). Aviation Safety Policies and Regulations There are more and more people travelling through air nowadays. Each year would record more passengers than its last. In fact, more than half a million used the aviation services of the country’s airlines in the year 2006 only as according to the data collected by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (as cited in Kramer, 2009, p. 171). This is a good sign for the aviation industry who earn billions annually for the services they provide. Nevertheless, this also signifies that the industry must give keener attention in the safety of their travelers. Most of the policies and regulations on aviation safety have already become standard policies for a period of time as their applicability is unquestionable in any particular time. These would expectantly include usual preflight and in-flight guidelines that the aviation staff and crew, including especially the pilots and other individuals such as the air traffic controllers, must perform and that passengers must have to abide with. Technology, on the other hand, has imposed several changes in every aspect and phase of a flight. Companies and other agencies, nonetheless, must openly consider and even accept these changes so that safety must be ensured. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Guidelines for Airlines. The FAA has become even more strict on security issues especially after the 9/11 incident. The airport and airline guidelines include heightened and more thorough screening procedures by allocating more extra time for the check-in process, and using technologically-enhanced devices for humans and their baggage to do so; making use of government-issued identification information that are uniform locally, by state and throughout the country for documentation purposes; posting prohibited and permitted items to bring on-board; and for the passengers to keep to self only the valuables or baggage that they own (“Airline and Airplane,” n.d.). There is no other idea that can replace these measures to limit accident. However, what is needed to ensure that these steps are religiously taken is randomized on-site monitoring. Through surprise visits that can be done by the people from the FAA, a guaranteed adherence to these set guidelines will be expected. Comprehensive trainings can be provided to the field employees who are assigned in doing these tasks in relation to the proper use of the screening equipments (especially the new ones which are highly technical); to understand the application of these security measures and the ethical issues that goes with them if there are; and to be able to perform these activities to suit the goals presented. Compliance from the side of the consumers, on the other hand, can be acquired by making them see the importance of doing the routine security screening procedures. It must also be emphasized that the hassles that it can cause is nothing compared to the safety that can be gained from the guidelines. Inducing knowledge through printed, radio or television advertisements is also a promising step. The Aircrew. Pilots take the maneuvers that are necessary to fly an aircraft from one destination to another. It is in their hands that the safety of their cargoes, especially their human cargoes, is laid. With this, pilots are obliged to adhere to the requirements demanded of them to be suitable to fly and perform their specific functions in high standards. Ability to provide instant but principle-based solutions to in-flight and weather-related problems among others is very necessary of a pilot and the rest of the aircrew members to make sure that their passengers remain unharmed until they get to their destinations. Knowledge about aircraft operations, meteorology, navigation, radio communication, emergency feedback practices and others must be continually updated from time to time. Pilots should also be devoted in sparing some time to attend standard trainings to develop the qualities needed to carry out these responsibilities. Standardized examinations and further trainings are made available by appointed agencies for this purpose. Aside from the mandated trainings, the pilots must also dedicate some of their time to develop their individual capabilities by attending other programs (probably continuing education programs) that can enhance these traits. Those who are not able to comply with these standards or those who are found to be less capable of performing the complicated responsibilities of being an aviator must not be allowed to fly until qualities needed to do so are achieved. Education of flight attendants, air traffic controllers and other personnel must also take the same course as the pilots. Once incapability is found, these personnel must not be allowed to be in the field and have direct access to flights. Intensive trainings must be provided to them to ascertain that they function according to standard guidelines before re-exposing them to their assigned areas; this, too, is specifically applicable to the inexperienced members of the aviation industry who have not been exposed to real-life situations which can threaten safety. Aircraft System Maintenance and Improvement. Both the internal and external physical structures of an aircraft are equally important as the control systems attached to it make a safe and efficient flight. Basic safety policies, of course, must not be taken for granted. The aircraft’s rudders, engines, flaps, wings and the rest of its parts along with the aircraft’s central control systems, propulsion system, and other facilities must always be frequently checked to verify its ability to operate even under certain conditions like bad weather. The aviation industry as well as the government or non-government agencies must support studies and researches that are directed in developing these detection systems. Invention of easy-to-use and simple tools such as weather sensors will also be very beneficial; or further and constant training of those who are engaged in the complex aircraft system technologies usage is also critical to the maintenance, improvement of an aircraft’s system, and even in its being spared of preventable accidents. The NASA AvSP is directing intervention to prevent aviation accidents using the Synthetic Vision. This can provide an “advanced cockpit display that will use technologies such as Global Positioning System signals and terrain databases to give pilots a clear out-the-window picture, no matter what the weather or time of day” (Allen, 2008). Soon, Synthetic Vision will be in use; and hopefully, it will greatly diminish accidents caused by unclear skies. If so, maintenance of such technology must also be promoted as well as further improvement of the other aspects of the aircraft control systems and the designs of its structure. Conclusion Basically, Kritzinger (2006) noted that a safe aircraft system must provide “a basic skill set for designers, safety practitioners, and their managers by exploring the relationship between safety, legal liability and regulatory requirements.” Not only that, though. Just as it has been mentioned, the number of air travelers is increasing every year. Hence, it is imperative that safety of these travelers be the topmost priority as the loss of lives is a heavier reason than legal liability. For this, it is also essential to consider the other basic causes of aviation accidents to be able to address the issues of preventing it. Since human errors, the composition of the aircraft itself, and even weather are the most frequent reasons of air accidents, then NASA, the NTSB, the FAA and the rest of the concerned population must take steps in overturning these causes with principle-based interventions like the ones mentioned above. Reference Airline and airplane safety information. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.resource4aviationlaw.com/topics/airlinesafety.html Allen, B. (2008, April 22). NASA aviation safety program: initiative will reduce aviation fatalities. Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/AvSP-factsheet.html Andrews, S. (2009). Hotel front office: a training manual. Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. Aviation Human Factors Division Institute of Aviation. (2005). Human error and general aviation accidents: A comprehensive, fine-grained analysis using HFACS. Savoy, Illinois: Wiegmann, D. A., Shappell, S. 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Retrieved from http://www.new-york-aviation-lawyers.com/ World aviation in 1783. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/aviation%20timeline/1783.htm 100 worst aviation disasters. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.planecrashinfo.com/worst100.htm Appendix A Table 1: Fatal Accidents and Deaths by Type of Aviation Operations, 1988-97 Fatal Accidents Deaths Type of Operation Number Percentage Number Percentage Commercial Aviation 85 2 1, 756 18 General Aviation 4, 386 98 8, 046 82 Total 4, 471 100 9, 802 100 Table 1. Source: GAOs analysis data from the National Transportation Safety Board (as cited in US General Accounting Office, p. 10). Appendix B Figure 1. The HFACS framework (Wiegmann, et al., 2005, p. 2). Figure 2. Accident Aircraft Phase of Flight During First Occurrence, 2005 (NTSB, 2009, p. 35). Read More