Aviation Safety Program Management

Please assist with answers to the attached questions. No length requirement. Brief, concise answers are acceptable if they thoroughly address the questions.

1. Suppose that an airliner is parked at the gate and being serviced. The flight crew and passengers are not on board. The catering truck is mis-positioned and as it is elevated it damages the fuselage skin near the right rear door. There are no injuries, but the damage requires repair. Technically this is not an aircraft accident because there was no one on board intending to fly. It isn’t even an industrial accident (OSHA) because there were no injuries. Suppose you are the director of safety for this airline.

What, if anything are you going to call this event?
Will it be reported? Investigated? By who?
What are the direct (uninsured) costs of this event?
What are the possible indirect (uninsured) costs of this event?

2. You are the director of safety for an airline and you are recommending installation of a new piece of safety equipment on all of your aircraft. The FAA will probably not make it mandatory; at least for several years. What arguments will you use in your recommendation?

3. The president of your organization has decided that there will be a full time Director of Safety and you’re it. The president has not decided (or doesn’t know) what a Director of Safety is supposed to do, so you have the opportunity to define your job with him. What are you going to tell him?

4. What is the role of safety within an organization?

5. Discuss two methods by which safety controls costs.

6. What is the relationship between safety and the everyday practicality of getting the job done?

7. Discuss the concept that, “Aviation safety needs to be event oriented and not result oriented.

8. Assume that an organization had an accident. Under what circumstances might the “safety staff” be considered “responsible?” Under what circumstances should they not be considered “responsible?”

9. In flight, a compressor blade of a turbine engine fails severely damaging the engine and requiring shutdown. The blade itself penetrates the compressor case and cowling and punctures the aircraft fuselage. There is no other damage and no injury. Would you classify this as an aircraft accident? Why?

10. Construct accident scenarios in which the risk was: informed, uninformed, pointless and benefit driven.

11. “Positional Authority” can be either used or misused. Cite examples of the use and misuse of positional authority.

12. What is the difference between an objective and a goal?

13. Develop a list of goals for your organization.

14. The Director of Safety for the US government heads the Office of Occupational Safety and Health for Federal Agencies. This is a branch of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is in the Department of Labor. Do you see any problem with this organization?

16. Why is it important that the Director of Safety not set safety standards?

17. Assume that you have been appointed as the Director of Safety for a new FAR Part 141 Flight Training School. Where would you look for references concerning appropriate safety standards?

18. Identify a few “eyewash” safety standards that may be present in an organization.

19. Identify the areas in which your company has standards that exceed federal requirements.

20. Select some hazard associated with flying such as controlled flight into terrain, structural icing, engine failure, etc. What actions can be taken to eliminate the hazards and controls the risks to acceptable levels?

21. Under the topic of risk acceptance, what are possible reasons why a manager might elect to fly a mission in spite of unacceptable risks?

22. You have a pilot who has taken an unacceptable risk because he thought it would help the company and that is what the company wanted him to do. What arguments are you going to use to try and change his attitude?