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.
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