Aviation Safety Programs (Coursework Sample)

AVIATION SAFETY PROGRAMS WK 1 ASSIGNMENT
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It is argued that accidents can not be prevented and are inherently bad. This is more so to aircraft accidents which are in most cases very fetal. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA (1989), the most theme surrounding aircraft accidents is human error ranging from poor communication between the crew members to accepting unnecessary risks or failure to take the proper corrective measures in case of mishaps. Therefore, if such accidents are properly investigated and the reasons leading to the accident unveiled, they provide insights to the approaches that can be taken to prevent a reoccurrence of a similar-caused accident (Neil, 1997). Because human beings learn from their mistakes and experience, the probability of same kind of accident to happen again will be rare. This paper will therefore cover the AT-802 Single Engine Air Tanker accident which occurred on 27 August, 2008. The reasons behind the crash will be uncovered together with the lessons learnt from that accident. Finally, the paper will recommend on what can be done in preventing reoccurrences of similar accidents.
The plane crushed in Colorado during a fire suppression operation. Apparently, it was a consequence of the pilot’s door opening during the initial retardant drop. This caused the pilot to stop the retardant release, and relayed the door problem to the ATGS. However, the ATGS thought that the pilot referred to the retardant fate because he had seen the abbreviated drop. The mishap pilot did not make efforts to fully relay the exact problem to the ATGS. Consequently, when the pilot asked to jettison the remaining retardant, the ATGS requested the pilot to continue the earlier drop instead. The pilot agreed to this request instead or relaying the exact problem! This caused the aircraft to impact the terrain and crush as the pilot was forced to use an aggressive turn so as to try and align the plane to the run-in route. (Galloway & Hank, 2009)
From the above description of the events following he crush, miscommunication occurs to be the major cause of the accident. Other lessons learn include the lack of professionalism and the tendency to accept unnecessary risks. There was lack of effective communication between the mishap pilot and the ATGS. This is because the sender seemed to be vague hence the receiver did not understand the exact problem. Following the circumstances, the ATGS assumed the door in question was the retardant gate. This could have been enforced by such barriers to effective communications as noise and stress as pointed out by Neil (1997).
Another lesson learnt is the lack of professionalism led the pilot to ignore the importance of the checklist resulting in the pilot’s door opening. In addition, by accepting the ATGS’s request to enforce the previous drop, the pilot was carried away by his can-do attitude unnecessary risk (Hunt, 1990). Moreover, the lack of on-the-spot correction was a huge let down on the part of the pilot who did not take the duty to speak up.
According to the Aviation Knowledge (n.d.), similar accidents can be prevented in the future by ensuring that pilots are taken trough the human factor training and development in order to learn the importance of communication among other factors. In addition, the measure of safety to both personnel and equipment around the approach or departure path should be applied through effective communica...