Aviation Safety

In Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents (1997), Dr. James Reason defined “just culture” as:

An atmosphere of trust in which people are encouraged, even rewarded, for providing essential safety-related information–but in which they are also clear about where the line must be drawn between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

While line drawing often involves sensitive tradeoffs and judgments, recent judicial decisions by the courts in Switzerland involving air traffic controllers provoke vigorous head-scratching, not to mention strong condemnation from the international air traffic control community.
Continue Reading Criminalization of Aviation: ‘You Have the Right to Remain Silent’

If you are in the aviation industry and operate internationally (airlines, charter operators), your product is used outside the United States, (OEMs, component manufacturers), or you have a presence outside the United States (MROs), you cannot afford to miss this webinar.
Continue Reading Aviation Symposium Webinar Series: The Lessons of Ethiopian Airlines…So Far

In issuing its 2019-2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements last month and in holding a recent public meeting, the National Transportation Safety Board has renewed its efforts in identifying safety gaps in Part 135 [Code of Federal Regulations, title 14, Part 135] aviation operations and recommending actions that the Federal Aviation Administration and Part 135 operators to eliminate preventable crashes.
Continue Reading The Feds Turn the Spotlight On Part 135 Operators

Last month, we passed yet another milestone in aviation history, the 88th anniversary of the first attempted hijacking of a passenger aircraft.  On February 12, 1931, a group of armed revolutionaries in Peru attempted to seize a Ford tri-motor by force, resulting in a 10 day stand-off.  The crisis was ultimately resolved when the revolutionaries learned there had been a successful coup against the government, and the plane was no longer needed.
Continue Reading The SAFETY Act As A Tool To Manage Risk: A Question And Answer Session On What It Is, And How To Take Advantage Of It!