Safety Bulletin Newsletter

Transcription

1 From the Captain s Seat Follow Instructions Chief Pilot: John Walter Instructions are important to us for many reasons: to keep us from getting hurt, or maybe just for our own good. As soon as we are able as children we are taught to follow directions. Don t go in to the street might be some of the first instructions we might hear from our mothers. As we get older those instructions become more complicated: fill in all the blanks and sign at the bottom. When we become pilots we must follow directions for the same reasons. Not following directions can result in some really dangerous or even deadly situations. Take for example any ATC clearance. Not following any of these instructions can result in both good and bad. The bad, is that something dangerous occurs. The only good is that the vacation you were planning to take, now becomes unpaid and mandatory until your license is reinstated. So you can agree it is in all of our best interest s to follow all ATC instructions properly. This includes taxiing instructions, Notam information, and PDC clearances to name a few. Most often overlooked by pilots are taxi instructions. Remember, these are specific clearances for operating on the airport environment. Failure to follow these instructions and you may have a runway incursion or conflict or more commonly referred to as- an unpaid beach vacation because of a certificate action. Please review Section 6 of the ps. Manual paragraph 4.23 (pg. 15) to re-familiarize yourself with Gama Charter s procedures concerning taxiing aircraft. Recently, a flight crew after landing, turned on to a closed taxiway that had been Notam d out of service. This innocuous occurrence resulted in the aircraft being suspended from the airport (a joint use civil/military airport). The flight crew then had the pleasure of conversing with the Boss about why he would be taking a much longer ride with the chauffeur the next time he would be in town. I don t know about you, but that s not a conversation I want to have. According to the problems which I address in my position as Chief Pilot, the single largest failure of the Gama Pilot group is a failure to check and verify all Notams that would impact a trip. ver and over again, I preach that both pilots should read and check or initial the Notam sheet for the flight prior to departure. I can t stress this enough----read the Notams!

2 In another event, a crew allowed themselves to be rushed on a quick turn and did not fully brief the PDC (pre-departure clearance) that they received via the aircraft data-link system. This resulted in an incorrect altitude being set in the altitude alerter resulting in an altitude violation. Were it not for the ASAP Program and a timely submission of the event via the event log/asap form, this Captain could have been working on a nice tan at the beach. We all think that we could never do those things, however I caution you that these events happened to good and experienced Airman who let their guard down. Chief Pilot: John Walter

3 From Andrew Franza, Training Department Runway Safety and New Initiatives The Federal Aviation Administration has made preventing runway incursions one of their biggest priorities in recent years. Runway incursions can result in aborted takeoffs, go-arounds, property damage, or even death. Pilot deviations account for about 70% of all runway incursions with the other 30% caused by pedestrians and vehicle traffic. As professional pilots, it is important to take the necessary steps to avoid runway incursions. Preparing for safe airport operations begins in the flight planning. It is recommended that pilots print a copy of the airport diagram and note hotspots. btaining a pre-flight brief including any taxiway closures, runway closures, or other information that affects airport movement is paramount. Prior to taxi, pilots should listen to ATIS to confirm any taxiway or runway closures, note any construction or other ground activities, and determine the active runways. The airport diagram should be readily available and taxi instructions should be written, understood, and read back using correct phraseology. During taxi, pilots should be looking outside of the cockpit and paying special attention to airport signs and markings. The appropriate frequency should be monitored and ATC should be queried if there is any confusion or a potential conflict is spotted. When cleared to cross a runway, be sure to look both ways to confirm there is no landing or departing traffic. Upon reaching the departure runway, notice the airport markings and stop before the hold short line. Best practices dictate that all lights, including landing lights, are turned on when cleared for takeoff. If cleared for Position and hold, all aircraft lights except landing lights should be illuminated. If holding on the runway for more than 90 seconds or a possible conflict is observed, query ATC. The FAA has begun implementing new procedures to help combat runway incursions. Starting on June 30, Air Traffic Controllers began issuing specific taxi clearances for each runway the aircraft operates on. This new procedure removes the phrase taxi to when authorizing a departing aircraft to taxi to its assigned runway. Controllers are now required to give pilots explicit taxi clearances that include the route to be taken and holding instructions for each runway. Aircraft or vehicles can no longer be cleared to cross multiple runways unless the airport has a Letter of Agreement. Instead, controllers must issue crossing clearances after the aircraft or vehicle has crossed the previous runway. The clearance phraseology has changed slightly as well. Previously, Taxi to Runway 14 via Echo, Delta, Bravo would be an acceptable clearance. With the new changes, the clearance would be, Runway 14, taxi via Echo, Delta, Bravo, cross Runway 17, hold short of Runway 18.

4 Preventing runways incursions should be a pilot s highest priority during ground operations. Dangerous situations can be avoided if pilots are vigilant while operating on the ground. Comprehending ATC instructions, using the appropriate procedures, and following FAA recommendations greatly reduces risk. When in doubt during any ground movement, the best solution is the hold short of any runways and contact ATC. From Andrew Franza, Training Department

5 From the Director of Safety: This is a reminder to all employees of the Event Log and ASAP guidelines and procedures as outlined in Section 4 of the peration Manual. The Event Log is to be used by any employee to report any safety issues to the company Director of Safety and senior management of the organization. The Event Log provides the PIC's account of events involving difficulties encountered in flight. The Event Log can be submitted directly to the Director of Safety by any employee addressing any safety related subject. It is appropriate to submit this report anonymously. The Event Log may be completed anytime the Captain determines that any flight difficulty war-rants its completion. However, an Event Log must be completed at the completion of any flight in which difficulties are encountered which may require the completion of a Service Difficulty Report, a Mechanical Interruption Summary Report, or the reporting of a safety related issue.(refer to MM section 5) The completed Event Log will be sent to the Flight perations Flight Follower, who will in turn forward the report to the Director of perations, Director of Safety and the Director of Maintenance, within 60 minutes or as soon as practicable after receipt, via FAX or telephone if necessary. GUIDELINES FR ACCEPTANCE F Event Log REPRTS UNDER ASAP Participation in ASAP is limited to Gama Charters employees and to events occurring while acting in that capacity. Each employee participating in ASAP must individually submit a report through an Event Log (Form SM-01) as defined in Section 4 of the perations Manual. When the reporter executes this document to initiate the ASAP process they must check yes in the space provided that asks, ASAP Report, yes or no. By checking yes the report is then treated differently than a standard Event Log (Form SM-01) in that the only information that is tracked on the Event Log Status Report on the company S Drive is the Event Log report date, Event Log number and Event Log final resolution date. Please note that there is a section on the Event Log Status Report that identifies the Event Log as a report that contains an ASAP issue. An Event Log (Form SM-01) identifying it as one with an ASAP issue is not distributed through the normal Event Log process and is only distributed to the Director of Safety, the company ASAP manager. At that point the report is considered to be in process in accordance with the MU and should not be shared with the individuals that are in the normal Event Log distribution process. Each employee participating in ASAP must individually submit an Event Log (Form SM-01) in order to receive the enforcement-related incentives and benefits of the ASAP policy. However, in cases where an event may be reported by more than one person, each individual who seeks coverage under ASAP must submit a separate signed report (Event Log, Form SM-01). Please refer to SMS Section 5, Paragraph 4.3 for an in depth analysis of proper ASAP reporting procedures and requirements.

6 Volcanic Ash Risk Mitigation Due to recent volcanic activity, the issue of airspace contamination in the form of volcanic ash residue has become a real threat to the aviation community. Therefore, Gama perations has implemented a series of risk mitigation steps to ensure operational safety while conducting flights in this part of the world. The perations department has made it a priority to proactively investigate all flights that are planned to operate in the geographic regions where a volcanic ash red zone is forecast. In these cases the assigned Flight Follower will inform the crew of any changes that may affect the safety of the flight. All Captains are encouraged to discuss flight plan routes with the perations Team to assist in the decision making process in trying to minimize exposure to ash. The Captain is to consider carrying extra contingency fuel in order to make use of routes that assist in reducing risk exposure. Airborne weather radar systems are not designed to detect volcanic ash contamination and extra awareness is required, particularly during hours of darkness and in IMC when ash has been forecast. The following are signs that volcanic ash may be present during flight: Smoke or dust in the cockpit; An acrid or sulphurous odor; St Elmo s Fire and static discharges around the windshield; A bright white or orange glow in the engine inlets; Sharp, distinct beams from the landing lights. Crewmembers must monitor engine fluctuations, the environment and those instruments receiving information from the Pitot/Static system. Should a crew experience any of the above refer to normal QRH procedures if necessary and report the encounter to the Company. Any inadvertent encounter with volcanic ash will ground the aircraft until such time that the appropriate maintenance inspections can be completed. Should an aircraft inadvertently encounter volcanic ash an entry must be made in the Aircraft Maintenance Log. Company operations must be informed of any such encounter. Additionally, the Company must be informed of any MEL item as this might influence the existing risk assessment. Aircraft parked in areas that may be contaminated by volcanic ash should be inspected for unusual deposits on the surfaces. If the crew finds unusual deposits on the aircraft they must be reported to the perations Team who will then advise the crew of the appropriate procedure.

7 Risk Assessment of Volcanic Ash peration This assessment was conducted to ascertain the risk of operating the Gama Charters Fleet in relation to the recent eruption in Iceland and the consequences of the Volcanic Ash within the airspace planned to be flown. The published VAAC Charts issued by the EU Met ffice were used as a template for continued monitoring. Three Areas were considered for this Risk Assessment. White Zone Flying utside any declared restrictions, No restrictions Standard perating Procedures Red Zone Flying within an area designated as having Ash with undefined levels. Further procedures required to be in place including Maintenance and perational to continue operations. Black Zone significant level of ash. Avoid perations within designated area. Monitor location. The assessment reviewed the hazard identification, the consequences of the hazard occurring, the probability of it happening, and is the risk acceptable to the Company. Having reviewed the risk assessment the White Zone requires no further action. Further operational procedures are to be introduced to reduce the risk for flying into/through the Red Zone and will be monitored and reviewed on an ongoing process. Maintenance Procedures will be introduced as required. The Black Zone will be classed as a no fly zone and will be monitored as to its location. White Zone No Further action required Red Zone Further perational Procedures are required to include but not only Flight Planning, Staff awareness and response, report occurrences, Routing policy, Contamination check at airfields, Fuel Policy, Release status, and continued monitoring to minimize risk and any Maintenance Procedures as required. Black Zone No Flight to be conducted. Volcanic ash contaminated airspace is a risk that should not be taken lightly and all possible steps of risk mitigation must be followed. Regards, Larry Mueller

8 (SMS) ASAP Safety Enhancement Report. The Following were ASAP Report and Corrective Actions: Incorrect use of PDC (Pre-Departure Clearance) received via the aircraft data-link system. Corrective Action: Pre-Departure Clearance FMS ground training required. Process Management Quality bjectives and Metrics No. of Safety Investigations Quarter 2 -workplace/towing 0 -Hanger 0 -Ramp/Towing 0 -Aircraft Accident/Incident 0 Safety Event Logs (Close-outs) Quarter 2 98% Corrective Actions Closure Quarter 2 100% I will continue to update the ASAP program and Quarterly bjectives and Metrics with these bullet points on a quarterly bases. Alex Travia Director of Safety