Flight Operations:

 

Safety

 

Advancements In Overhead Stowage Bin Article Retention

The retention of passenger baggage in airplane stowage bins during flight is of industrywide interest.

 

Aging Transport Systems Investigation

The U.S. FAA and industry representatives are working together to determine how existing maintenance practices may be improved to help ensure the continued airworthiness of older airplanes. Although factfinding efforts to date have found no endemic safety issues, recommendations are being made to enhance the design and maintenance of airplane electrical systems and associated documentation and training.

 

Airbus Takeoff Safety Training Aid

The purpose of this brochure is to provide the Airlines with Airbus data to be used in conjunction with the TAKEOFF SAFETY TRAINING AID published by the Federal Aviation Administration. Airframe manufacturer's, Airlines, Pilot groups, and regulatory agencies have developed this training resource dedicated to reducing the number of rejected takeoff (RTO) accidents.

 

Analysis of fumes and smoke events in Australian aviation

This study has been undertaken in order to further understanding of the nature and impact of fumes and smoke related occurrences in relation to the safety of aircraft operations in Australia and, in doing so, evaluate associated data availability and suitability. This report also addresses recommendations from a 2011 report commissioned by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) by an Expert Panel on Aircraft Air Quality that aviation safety agencies work together to provide a comprehensive study of cabin air contamination incidents.

 

Antidepressants in Aviation

Use of antidepressant medications by pilots and air traffic controllers does not increase the risk of aviation accidents or incidents, according to a study of 10 years of aviation safety data from Australia, where aeromedical authorities have allowed the supervised use of antidepressants since 1987.

 

Birdstrike Threat Awareness

Experience shows that birdstrike events are common. Pilots may expect to encounter from two to five birdstrikes during their career.

 

Bracing The Last Line Of Defense against Midair Collisions

Recent accidents have prompted the International Civil Aviation Organization to clarify that pilots must comply immediately with airborne collision avoidance system resolution advisories, even when contradictory instructions are issued by air traffic control.

 

Cabin Decompressions Awareness

The objectives of this briefing is to review the different types of decompression and enhance cabin and flight crew awareness of the importance of rapidly taking appropriate actions to successfully manage decompression.

 

Can They Talk The Talk

 

CFIT Business Jet Operations

Loss of control was the second leading cause of fatal business jet accidents worldwide from 1991 through 2002. Inadequate crew coordination and monitoring were cited in the majority of business jet incidents

 

CFIT Check list

The Flight Safety Foundation CFIT Checklist helps pilots and aircraft operators assess the CFIT risk for specific flights.

 

CFIT Digest

Flight Safety Foundation task force presents facts about approach-and-landing and Controlled-Flight-Into-Terrain (CFIT) accidents.

 

Charts raise Pilot Awareness Of Minimum Vectoring Altitudes

At least 158 paper charts published by 34 civil aviation authorities currently provide advisory information about minimum vectoring altitudes to pilots. Newly released data for 374 U.S. MVA charts should encourage development of electronic versions that will help to prevent controlled flight into terrain.

 

Cockpit and Cabin Smoke Procedures

The objective of this presentation is to review the latest Airbus developments on the topic, recall the Cockpit/Cabin Smoke Procedure Philosophy, outline the recommendations of the Airbus “Smoke” Working Group, and how they will be incorporated in the smoke procedures.

 

Cosmic Radiation

Crew members who regularly fly at high cruise altitudes receive higher levels of ionizing radiation than the general population. The increased risk appears to be slight, but greater attention is being focused on monitoring of, and education about, ionizing radiation.

 

Culture Counts

The importance of establishing and maintaining a positive safety culture and climate in any aviation organization is now beyond debate. But little attention has been paid to measuring an organization’s safety environment, an omission that is important because, as business schools preach, you can’t manage what you can’t measure.

 

Danger of Falling Overhead Baggage

Minimal traumatic brain injury is one serious consequence of injury caused by baggage falling from overhead compartments. Between 20 percent and 60 percent of such patients have symptoms three months after being injured.

 

Darkness Increases Risks of Flight

Human perceptual limitations are blamed for specific types of accidents that are more likely to occur in darkness than in daylight. Special hazards associated with night flying continue to cause accidents despite efforts to inform pilots of the risks.

 

Emergency Evacuation On Ground

New procedures presented by Airbus.

 

Enhancing Terrain Awareness

This briefing provides a set of operational recommendations and training guidelines to establish and maintain the desired level of terrain awareness.

 

Erroneous ILS Indications Pose Risk of CFIT

Several incidents involved flight crews who observed normal, on-course instrument landing system (ILS) indications although their aircraft were not established on the glideslope or on the localizer course.

 

Flightcrew response to In-Flight Smoke, Fire, or Fumes

Smoke, fire, or fume (SFF) events can occur suddenly in commercial airplanes. Yet information about the source of the event may be vague, incomplete, inaccurate, or contradictory. Additionally, there is a wide range of possible sources and situations.

 

Getting To Grips With Cabin Safety

This Airbus brochure is a comprehensive review of Cabin Crew Emergency Procedures, incorporating Fire, Smoke, Emergency Evacuation, Ditching, Cabin Depressurization and Crew Resource Management. The aim of “Getting to Grips with Cabin Safety” is to provide Operators with guidance to develop procedures to implement their own cabin safety program, which is customized to the Operator’s specific requirements.

 

Glideslope Unusable

It took a moment, at a bad time, for the pilots to decipher an unexpected and unuasual clearance

 

GPWS Safety Alert

An FSF CFIT Safety Alert distributed to thousands of operators worldwide, emphasizes the importance of an immediate and decisive response by flight crews to ground-proximity warning system (GPWS) warnings.

 

High Stakes in language Proficiency

In an effort to reduce accidents involving communication deficiencies, ICAO is requiring pilots, controllers and aeronautical station operators involved in international operations to be tested for their ability to speak and understand English. At stake are careers, industry investment in training and testing — and safety.

 

Language Barrier

After a simple error wiped out much of their navigation information, the Polish pilots of a 737 were unable to adequately communicate their problem to British controllers

 

Lessons from the Dawn of Ultra Long Range Flight

Validation studies of nonstop flights between Singapore and the United States show that recommended operational guidelines developed by Flight Safety Foundation can help airlines worldwide to expand their operational envelope while maintaining safety.

 

Lithium Batteries - Risk Mitigation Guidance for Operators

This guide is designed to outline potential strategies airlines may wish to consider to reduce the risks associated with the transport of lithium batteries. These strategies address the carriage of lithium batteries as cargo on passenger and cargo aircraft as well as in passenger and crew checked and carry-on baggage.

 

Managing Uneven Brakes Temperature

Operators typically purchase twin-aisle airplanes for long-distance flights. However, when market conditions dictate, operators may use some of these airplanes on shorter flights. In such instances, appropriate action by the flight crew can reduce the likelihood of brake overheating and concomitant departure delays.

 

Margin for Error

Airplanes continue to run off the ends of runways lacking adequate overrun areas with disastrous consequences, yet acceptance of a unified standard for overrun areas and installation of safety areas where they are needed generally remain slow. Civil aviation authorities worldwide appear to have given a mixed reception to recent changes in international airport design requirements intended to prevent or reduce damage and injury during overrun on takeoff or landing.

 

Minimizing the Impact Runway Arresting Systems

Many airports throughout the world have joint commercial-military operations. Runways at these airports often are equipped with arresting gear systems for tactical military aircraft to use for landing. These systems pose a potential damage and safety hazard to commercial airplanes that use the same runways. Airports and airlines can take steps to help ensure safe commercial operations under such circumstances. Measures include writing airport procedures specifically for commercial airplane operations, modifying existing arresting systems, reducing declared landing and takeoff distances, and increasing inspections of airplanes with nosegear spray and gravel deflectors.

 

Missed Assessment

Tired pilots neglecte to perform a required review before landing

 

Never Cross Red

Exceptions to a global rule weaken the effectiveness of the stop bar as a last defense against runway incursions.

 

Preventing Landings without clearance

A great many reports to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System identify pilots' failure to obtain clearances prior to landing. How to prevent Landings without Clearance?

 

Preventing Runway Incursions

The objective of this Briefing Note is to provide awareness of a runway incursion, the associated contributing factors and, related prevention strategies, especially in terms of best practices for flight crew to avoid runway incursions.

 

Protecting Airline Personnel From Falls

Open doors, access panels, and hatches on parked airplanes can be potential safety hazards for airline personnel unaware of the opening. Flight attendants and servicing staff have suffered injuries as a result of falls through these openings. Investigations of these accidents by Boeing indicate that they are preventable by proper and consistent use of barriers and following airline policies and procedures.

 

Reducing Smoke and Burning Odor Events

At the recommendation of operators, Boeing has undertaken studies of smoke and burning odor (SBO) events occurring on airplanes. The studies provide fleetwide information so that operators can take steps to reduce SBO events.

 

Reducing the threat of laser illuminations

Laser illumination of commercial airplanes is a growing threat to operational safety, and the number of incidents is increasing. the u.S. Federal aviation administration (FAA) laser- incident database contains more than 3,200 reports of incidents since 2004 and provides information on the locations, altitudes, color of light, and phases of flight that show the most activity. by knowing how the laser affects the eye and following recommended procedures, pilots can reduce this safety threat.

 

Refuelling With Passengers On Board

This Airbus Briefing is designed to provide all personnel, involved in refueling operations, with an overview of the applicable recommendations.

 

Response To Inflight Smoke

Engineering design by airplane manufacturers, oversight by regulators, and maintenance practices by operators combine to minimize occurrences of smoke, fumes, and fire in the pressurized areas of airplanes. When smoke does occur, timely and appropriate action by the flight and cabin crews is imperative. Boeing has analyzed in-service smoke, fumes, and fire events and reviewed airplane systems and crew procedures for its commercial airplane models

 

Revisiting The STOP or GO Decision

The aim of thus Briefing is to review the STOP or GO decision-making process, and the associated operational and prevention strategies to be applied, in order to limit the risks of taking inappropriate actions and unsafe decisions.

 

Risks related to Lithium Batteries

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) has become the dominant rechargeable battery chemistry for consumer electronics devices (e.g., smart phones and notebook computers) and is poised to become commonplace for industrial, transportation, and power-storage applications. From a safety and fire protection standpoint, a high energy density coupled with a flammable organic, rather than traditional aqueous electrolyte, has created a number of new fire protection challenges. Specific challenges include the design of batteries containing Li-ion cells, the storage and handling of these batteries, and challenges in determining the best response to suppress and control fires involving Li-ion batteries.

 

Safe Winter Operations

Airline engineering, maintenance, and flight personnel, as well as contracted airplane deicing service providers, need to be aware of the recent developments and recommendations for operating airplanes in winter weather conditions.

 

Safety on the Straight and Narrow

Aviation safety experts aim for the Runway Safety Initiative to provide the tools to prevent runway excursions.

 

Sharing The Skies

This Transport Canada document is a crucial tool for managing hazardous interactions between wildlife and aircraft in the vicinity of airports. For example, some land-use activities near airports—such as waste-disposal sites—attract high-risk bird species and, therefore, directly impact aviation safety. Transport Canada strives for the holistic, proactive management of wildlife hazards by applying the system safety approach to engage all airport-area stakeholders, including community leaders, waste-disposal companies, farmers, airport authorities and airline operators.

 

Smoke Fire Fume Initiative

Boeing reminds that Smoke, fire, fumes events occur daily in commercial aircraft.

 

Speaking Up

Voluntary safety reports by flight attendants prove to be more valuable than expected

 

Stabilized Approach and Flare Are Keys to Avoiding Hard Landings

Flight crews primarily use their judgment to identify and report hard landings, but recorded flight data also might be useful to gauge the severity of the impact before a conditional maintenance inspection is performed. The accident record shows that hard landings often involve substantial damage and sometimes result in fatalities.

 

The Continuous Threat Of Runway Incursions

Another interesting article dealing with runway incursions.

 

Tools For The Reduction Of Approach and Landing Accidents

Data from numerous safety studies indicate that approach and landing accidents account for a significant proportion of air transport accidents. The aviation industry is committed to reducing the number of these accidents. One effort has led to the creation of a toolkit containing industry data and recommendations for use by airlines worldwide.

 

Treacherous Thawing

Slush may induce poor/nil aircraft braking action, contrary to runway friction readings.

 

Visual Illusions Awareness and Avoidance

Visual illusions take place when conditions modify the pilot’s perception of the environment relative to his / her expectations. Visual illusions may result in landing short of the runway, hard landing or runway overrun, but may also cause spatial disorientation and loss of control.