FAA’s incomplete statement about UA’s incident investigation- where was the SMS ?
INSPECTIONS ARE BUT AN IMAGE OF AN INSTANT IN TIME; SMS DATA DIAGNOSIS ASSESSES PERFORMANCE OVER TIME. Safety trends, good and bad, are readily discernible by examining the SMS records. In particular, if the SMS data available was useless information, that should point out that the system’s design is poor, and need be fixed.
The FAA, see below article, after MONTHS OF INSPECTIONS found “NO SIGNIFICANT” safety flaws. For most of this investigation, United’s privileges in the exercise of its Part 121 certificate (putting new aircraft on its ops specs, adding new routes, check rides, “future projects” and more) were limited during this six-month period. Those substantial restrictions must have been justified by the regulator by credible information of safety deficiencies.
The FAA press release, declaring no findings after the ENHANCED OVERSIGHT, recited the relevant safety discipline that SHOULD HAVE ALERTED BOTH THE REGULATOR AND THE REGULATED FOR TRENDS leading to the cited incidents, In fact the FAA quoted the principals of SMS as a regulatory oversight:
“SAFETY ASSURANCE SYSTEM ROUTINELY MONITORS ALL ASPECTS OF AN AIRLINE’S OPERATION. It focuses on an airline’s compliance with applicable regulations; ability to identify hazards, assess and mitigate risk; and effectively manage safety.”
That statement raises two questions: (i) why neither the FAA nor UA flag data that suggested that a problem may have been imminent and (ii) why didn’t the enhanced surveillance examine that failure to detect and what should be done by both to assure that these incidents did not reoccur?
The press release does not mention that the SMS data was analyzed or identified the relevant problems before the added oversight. Thus, is it fair to assume that instead of looking at the root causes which the real time, objective performance information failed to detect, that the inspection relied on “boots on the ground inspectors”?
The measure of Safety Culture is not really easily created as a checklist. An inspection of MX or QC or training or any form of operations must involve the presence of a representative at this event. Someone familiar with experience in observing a critical action knows about the HAWTHORNE EFFECT:
SMS is the cornerstone of US and global aviation safety. There are some who doubt its efficacy and/or are riled by its “paperwork” burden. The absence of the recognition of its value to examining United’s incidents is, sadly, not an endorsement of this critical regulatory tool. If this investigation was a “boots on the ground’ exercise, Professor French’s research would question such a technique
FAA Probe Finds Little Wrong At United
Monthslong investigation found no “significant flaws.”
The FAA announced today its SAFETY INVESTIGATION of United Airlines hasfound NO “SIGNIFICANT FLAWS.” The investigation LAUNCHED EARLIER THIS YEAR afterwhattheagency said was “a string of safety-related incidents, including a stuck rudder in February that last week was the subject of urgent guidance from the National Transportation Safety Board.”
The FAA also cited an incident involving a United aircraft losing a tire on takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX), which damaged a car in an airport parking lot.
Nevertheless, an FAA statement said it has “finished its CERTIFICATE HOLDER EVALUATION PROGRAM (CHEP) of United Airlines. The review did NOT IDENTIFY ANY SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUES.”
At the time it launched the probe, the FAA said in a statement that its “SAFETY ASSURANCE SYSTEM ROUTINELY MONITORS ALL ASPECTS OF AN AIRLINE’S OPERATION. It focuses on an airline’s compliance with applicable regulations; ability to identify hazards, assess and mitigate risk; and effectively manage safety.” A memoto United employees said, “The number of safety-related events in recent weeks have rightfully caused us to pause and evaluate whether there is anything we can and should do differently.”
Editor
Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.
