ALEA Safety First Program Newsletters

January 2005

Keith Johnson
Safety Program Manager

The Safety First Program has some exciting things on the agenda for 2005. Here are just a few examples.

AIRCRAFT/ACCIDENT SURVEY

More that 100 agencies have completed the Aircraft/Accident Survey. But, we need everyone to respond so we can determine if there is a correlation between the make and model aircraft operated and accidents. Please take just a moment to respond to this survey that is posted on the ALEA website. Thank you to those that have completed the survey

ACCIDENT ANALYSIS

The numbers are in for 2004. Great news, we had only 10 accidents, the fewest in more than a decade. The average for the last 5 years is 17 per year. But, 10 is still 10 too many. From 1999-2004 there have been 98 accidents. Fifty-seven were the result of loss of control, and 30 due to engine or other mechanical failure. It’s my assessment that the loss of control accidents were largely the result of lack of training and skill, task overload, pilot over confidence and lack of experience. We pilots need to focus more attention on flying the aircraft.

The mechanical failure accidents are indicative of a lack of quality assurance in maintenance programs. Pilots that conduct post-maintenance functional flight checks should attend factory maintenance schools for the aircraft being operated. All pilots need to focus on pre-flights and aircraft operating systems during flight. The most minor discrepancies need to be documented and addressed to ensure that the aircraft is airworthy.

UNIT MANAGER COURSE SUBSIDY

This year ALEA will waive the tuition and conference registration fees for the first 50 Unit Managers that are ALEA members that register for the Unit Manager Course. This is a $420 value, so sign up now. This is just one example of ALEA’s commitment to helping Unit Managers do their job. Training is the key.

SAFETY FIRST POSTERS

Every agency should have received the first Safety First poster. If you did not, maybe you are not a member, or we don’t have your mailing address. The second poster will be mailed soon. Please give me feedback on this part of the Safety First Program.

ACCIDENT DATABASE

The ALEA Online Accident Database has been updated starting with 1993-2004. The make and model aircraft and primary cause of the accident has been added to the index so you can search more easily for the accidents that may be of interest to you. The purpose of this part of the safety database is to help others from having a similar accident. Someone said, “Smart people learn from their mistakes. Wise people learn from the mistakes of others.”

Please direct your questions and comments to safety@alea.org. And remember, Safety First, no one that’s had an accident ever completed the mission.