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November–December 2001
Controlled Flight Into Terrain: A Study of Pilot Perspectives in Alaska 88 pages. [PDF 607K]
Survey results indicate that pilots employed by companies involved in controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT) accidents rated their company’s safety climate and practices significantly lower than pilots employed by companies that had not been involved in CFIT accidents.
October 2001
Survivability of Accidents Involving U.S. Air Carrier Operations, 1983–2000 28 pages. [PDF 245K]
A study revealed that in U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations Part 121 air carrier accidents from 1983 through 2000, more than 95 percent of the airplane occupants survived and that in the most serious accidents, more than 55 percent of the occupants
survived.
August–September 2001
Special Double Issue: Regional Initiatives Launched: Momentum Builds in Regional ALAR Implementation Efforts 52 pages. [PDF 512K]
The Pan American Aviation Safety Team has launched the world’s first regional awareness campaign based on the FSF ALAR Tool Kit to prevent approach-and-landing accidents. Regional team leaders also are beginning to organize locally tailored initiatives in Africa, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region.
July 2001
An Analysis of the Safety Performance of Air Cargo Operators 28 pages. [PDF 219K]
Nighttime operations and an aging aircraft fleet are among factors affecting the safety of cargo operations worldwide. Data from 1970 through June 1999 show that accidents during takeoff and climb occur more frequently in cargo operations than in passenger operations.
June 2001
Aviation Operational Safety Audit Appraises Aviation Department Safety, Efficiency and The Practice of Aviation Safety 56 pages. [PDF 547K]
Two articles in this issue of Flight Safety Digest provide insights into the safety audit process: The first article provides first-hand observations of an FSF safety audit of a U.S. corporate aviation department that granted permission
to the Foundation to publish the information; the second article is an updated version of The Practice of Aviation Safety, which provides more in-depth information about the process.
The Practice of Aviation Safety also shares, in a nonattributive manner, some of the findings acquired from hundreds of safety audits conducted worldwide, from small corporate aviation departments to large international airlines. Although the safety audits revealed a satisfactory overall standard of safety, specific procedures or practices of individual operators sometimes were observed to be below industry norms.
April–May 2001
Special Double Issue: Human Error Cited as Major Cause of U.S. Commercial EMS Helicopter Accidents 68 pages. [PDF 610K]
A study of 87 accidents from 1987 through 2000 found that human error was the primary causal factor in 76 percent. The greatest concentration of human error occurred during the en route phase of the flight and often involved faulty in-flight planning and decision making or inadequate evaluation of weather information.
March 2001
Understanding Airplane Turbofan Engine Operation Helps Flight Crews Respond to Malfunctions 40 pages. [PDF 748K]
Maintaining aircraft control, diagnosing correctly the engine malfunction and taking appropriate action are the keys to continued safe flight.
February 2001
Human Factors Checklist Provides Tool For Accident/Incident Investigation 44 pages. [PDF 266K]
The checklist can be used in the formulation of safety programs that address key factors related to the prevention of recurring flight crew errors.
January 2001
Q-Star Verification Process Provides Safety Assessment of Aircraft Charter Providers 32 pages. [PDF 256K]
Program helps corporate flight departments to identify U.S. charter providers that operate to safety standards significantly higher than the minimum regulatory requirements.