ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION SAFETY AUTUMN 2004 ISSUE 56 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ISSN 1355-1523 UNITED KINGDOM FLIGHT1 SAFETY COMMITTEE As Easy As Jeppesen’s EFB provides a flexible, scalable platform to deploy EFB applications and data that will grow 1,2,3 with you as your needs evolve. Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Less paper; increased safety and efficiency; rapid ROI. Jeppesen's EFB makes it as easy as 1, 2, 3. Get more information at: 303.328.4208 (Western Hemisphere) +49 6102 5070 (Eastern Hemisphere) www.jeppesen.com/efb The Official Publication of THE UNITED KINGDOM FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE ISSN: 1355-1523 AUTUMN 2004 ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION SAFETY FOCUS is a quarterly subscription journal devoted to the promotion of best practises in contents aviation safety. It includes articles, either original or reprinted from other sources, related Editorial 2 to safety issues throughout all areas of air transport operations. Besides providing information on safety related matters, FOCUS aims to promote debate and improve networking within the industry. It must be Chairman’s Column 3 emphasised that FOCUS is not intended as a substitute for regulatory information or company publications and procedures. Adherence to Standard Operating Procedures 4 Editorial Office: Ed Paintin IATA Human Factors Working Group The Graham Suite Fairoaks Airport, Chobham, Woking, Surrey. GU24 8HX Tel: 01276-855193 Fax: 01276-855195 Access to the CAA Mandatory Occurrence Reports 9 e-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.ukfsc.co.uk Office Hours: 0900 - 1630 Monday - Friday Advertisement Sales Office: Military Interception of Civilian Aircraft 10 UKFSC The Graham Suite, Fairoaks Airport, Chobham, Woking, Surrey GU24 8HX Tel: 01276-855193 Fax: 01276-855195 UKFSC Members List 12 email: [email protected] Web Site: www.ukfsc.co.uk Office Hours: 0900 - 1630 Monday - Friday Medical Matters 14 Printed by: Woking Print & Publicity Ltd The Print Works, St.Johns Lye, St.Johns, Woking, Surrey GU21 1RS Tel: 01483-884884 Fax: 01483-884880 S61 Flying from Penzance to Isles of Scilly 16 ISDN: 01483-598501 e-mail: [email protected] Web: www.wokingprint.com Error Avoidance 20 FOCUS is produced solely for the purpose of improving flight safety and, unless copyright is Keith Frable indicated, articles may be reproduced providing that the source of material is acknowledged. Opinions expressed by individual authors or in advertisements appearing in FOCUS are those Corporate Manslaughter 22 of the author or advertiser and do not Barlow Lyde & Gilbert necessarily reflect the views and endorsements of this journal, the editor or the UK Flight Safety Committee. While every effort is made to ensure the UKFSC Annual Seminar 24 accuracy of the information contained herein, FOCUS accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information, or its consequences. Specialist advice should always be sought in relation to any particular circumstances. Front Cover Picture: Sikorsky S61 in the Livery of British International 1 Editorial Ground Damage – Why No Management Interest? ■ Improve communication between contracts manager, the quality and safety department and the accounts department. ■ Review the balance between contract price and quality of service. ■ Review the terms of reference of the contracts manager. ■ Improve the contract terms with service providers to include penalties for accidental damage. Recently the Flight Safety Foundation design and implement? Perhaps this is not a traditional accounting function and released figures on the cost of damage to ■ Ensure service providers train their therefore someone else’s problem. aircraft arrived at during their project into staff properly. “Ramp Damage”. They estimate that the Is it because the contracts manager has global cost is in the region of US$ 6 ■ Implement a vigorous ramp safety been given a mandate to secure million a year. This figure seems audit programme particularly in the contracts at the lowest possible price and believable as two years ago the insurance area of vehicles in proximity to aircraft. industry estimated that the uninsured this is done irrespective of the quality of the service? Perhaps he has a cost ramp damage to aircraft was in the region A successful ramp safety strategy would; of US$ 4 million. saving “target” to achieve. The contracts manager seldom ever sees the poor ■ reduce repair costs and improve on quality of service provided and never Why is it then that few air operators have time departure rates a method of recording the cost of this sees the damage caused to the aircraft. Repairs and aircraft serviceability is a damage and why do they not have a ■ reduce the indirect cost due to delays maintenance or operations problem. robust programme for preventing it? (a/c leasing, hotel accommodation, meals, etc) Most air operators use third party Managers are appointed to supervise staff and tasks and yet few air operators contractors to carry out their aircraft ■ improve customer satisfaction and have a person responsible for the servicing. Gone are the days when the air Company image. operator’s personnel handled all the supervision and management of the ramp servicing function. Third party contractors servicing of the aircraft. Claims are made ■ improve profitability. that it is more cost effective to use third do their servicing task without supervision, even though the air operator party organization as it is not the air Ramp damage is a management problem is responsible for the conduct and safety operators “core business”. that erodes company profits! of these services. Is it that CEO is too busy worrying about profits, traditional cost cutting and It is in the interest of all operators to shareholder dividend to consider looking reduce the amount of damage caused at less traditional areas where costs can and at the shame time improve their be cut? profitability and on time performance. Is it because the accountants have no To implement strategies to reduce these mechanism or process for costing such uninsured losses operators could; incidents? Do they see costing systems ■ as too much work or too difficult to Implement a ramp damage costing system. 2 Chairman’s Column Communication is more than just an Art Form some stage we all need to talk. captain) can make a reasoned judgement based on all the information and The tragic consequences of not comments made to them. It will always be communicating were brought home to us the case that some situations demand an in the UK with the crash of the Trident out autocratic solution, but perhaps CRM of London Heathrow in June 1972. should endeavour to make captains During the investigation it was found that ‘benevolent’ autocrats. In other words, be members of the flight deck were doing aware of others inputs and act for the little in the way of communicating. This greater good! Do we need to get on really probably led to a simple mistake which well to make it work? Well it helps, but it is caused the accident. The US had found our fundamental attitude that is the key to the same problems and Cockpit good communication. Resource Management (CRM) was born. It was quickly realised that all aircrew Unfortunately life is never this simple! So From cradle to grave we spend our lives needed to be involved and the ‘C’ what is the point of this Chairman communicating in some form or another. became ‘Crew’. As the process of CRM Column? The UKFSC seminar this year is The moment we are born we start to developed, its uses were seen in all parts looking at communication at all levels. make our feelings and desires felt (ask of the industry (and other industries too) Come and listen to a few different ideas any mother!) We develop our own and ‘Company Resource Management’ of how we can make life better. The large techniques to get what we want and when has now evolved. majority of people in the aviation industry we want it using language, facial are getting paid for a job they enjoy expressions and gestures. By the time Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) doing. With a little bit of thought, we can we finish academic work and move into have been developed so that, not only do make it even safer as well as even more our chosen profession we will have our we operate to a safe and acceptable enjoyable! own unique style; this can make us standard, but also they are something to leaders or followers depending on our fall back on when all around is failing and by Stuart McKie-Smith brand of communication. the adrenalin is flowing. It is also flybe. comforting to know that whoever is with In the aviation industry, communication you will be working to the same began from day one. In 1783, Pilatre de procedures, even if you have never met! Rozier, a science teacher, and the Marquis d’Arlandes, an infantry officer, But this is not always enough, and became the first human air travellers situations may arise where questioning when, in a hot-air balloon, they flew for 9 the way of working may be necessary – km over Paris, As soon as two people this is a fundamental of CRM. However, began flying together, decisions were CRM is not intended to be an excuse for made, some democratic, some not so the ‘follower’ to contradict and overrule democratic! Add other crew members, the ‘leader’. The basic intention of CRM is engineers, ATC and all the many others to allow interaction of ideas between the who help us to operate means that at team so that the manager (in our case the UK FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE OBJECTIVES ■ To pursue the highest standards of aviation safety. ■ To constitute a body of experienced aviation flight safety personnel available for consultation.