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ALEA Safety First Program Newsletters
April 2005
Keith Johnson
Safety Program Manager
UNIT MANAGER COURSE – By Line Richard Bray
ALEA has made great progress since the 2004
Annual Conference. The
ALEAC standards have
been posted for review. The Safety First
program is running full speed and one of the
major goals of the program will be realized
at the 2005 Annual Conference in Reno,
Nevada. This year unit OIC’s and managers
will be able to attend the Unit Manager
Course FREE. This is an excellent course (I
am a graduate myself) and introduces Unit
Managers to the nuances and specifics of
supervision or starting an aviation program.
There are only 15 spaces left. ALEA will
also waive the conference registration fee.
This is a $420.00 value, so get your
registration in. Call or email Sherry Hadley
to take advantage of this special offer at:
shadley@alea.org or 918-599-0705.
SAFETY FIRST POSTERS
We have had several requests for additional
Safety First posters. We have plenty. Just
email or call Sherry Hadley at the ALEA
Corporate Office at:
shadley@alea.org, and
tell her how many you would like. This is a
great way to put a fresh face on safety in
your unit.
ALEAC STANDARDS
I wish to thank those members who took the
time to share their comments with the
commission. After review by our members the
past two months, the commission will be
meeting to finalize the standards for
presentation to the ALEA board of directors
at the 2005 Annual Conference in Reno.
LOSS OF VISUAL REFERENCE
The safety theme for this month is Loss of
Visual Reference. Loss of visual reference
is often followed by spatial disorientation
and loss of control of the aircraft. From
1999-2004, loss of control has accounted for
nearly 60% of law enforcement aviation
accidents, and spatial disorientation
continues to have the highest fatality rate.
Changes in environmental conditions can
occur multiple times on a given flight.
External conditions such as clouds, fog,
haze, smoke, rain and low-light conditions
reduce our ability to avoid things like
mountains, surface obstructions, terrain and
water.
The keys to avoiding inadvertent IMC are
training, knowledge, skill, judgment and
flight planning. In the event of
experiencing inadvertent IMC, several things
should be considered including steps to
prevent/overcome spatial disorientation:
- Have and follow your inadvertent IMC plan –
Do you have one?
- Fly on and believe the flight instruments
- Utilize a sound instrument scan
- Fly straight and level if possible until you
are oriented
- Avoid unnecessary and rapid head movements
and abrupt control inputs
- Avoid fixation that can cause disorientation
Over-water operations can be challenging.
Rapid and/or steep turns and head movements
should be avoided, especially during
low-light conditions. We become comfortable
making such movements because normally
nothing happens. However, when you combine
these conditions, risk goes up
exponentially, often with deadly
consequences. During these conditions, slow
down, make gradual control inputs and give
yourself some additional altitude when
possible.
Most of us in law enforcement operate with
crews of two. Your partner can be a valuable
asset in making the transition from visual
to instrument flight, and can help in
becoming oriented. This can include
monitoring instruments and giving the pilot
essential information, and communicating
with ATC and other nearby aircraft.
Effective response requires training for
both pilot and tactical flight officer. I
frequently hear, “Its too expensive to
train.” If you think training is expensive,
try having a fatal accident. Managers,
chiefs of police and sheriffs must be
informed and educated so they understand
that training is not a luxury, it’s
essential.
There are multiple environments that crews
must be prepared to operate in, including
marine, dessert, mountains, agricultural and
urban areas with high-rise buildings and
other surface obstacles. In order to
increase the likelihood of responding
appropriately, pilots and crewmembers need
to have a plan for the different
environmental conditions in which they
operate, and make allowances for a changing
environment.
In evaluating these accidents, the one
element we often neglect to address is the
role and responsibilities of supervision and
management. We supervisors need to monitor
weather conditions. When ceiling and/or
visibility are low, give careful
consideration whether to have your people
flying. It’s our responsibility to manage
risk through proper supervision.
While inadvertent IMC is a very high-risk
situation, it does not have to be fatal as
is too often the case. Remember, the key to
prevention of inadvertent entry into IMC
requires good risk management, including
flight planning, decision-making and CRM.
Disorientation can be insidious, and has the
highest fatality rate of all accident causal
factors. Don’t fall into this trap.
So far this year we have had only one
accident. Keep up the good work. Until next
month, remember,SAFETY FIRST!
Keith Johnson
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