Weighing In - Air Safety Forum: Advancing Aviation Safety and Security
By Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA First Vice President
At ALPA’s recent Air Safety Forum, we proudly showcased the work of our Air Safety Organization and shared ideas to enhance airline safety and security. This annual event continues to underscore the real importance of such gatherings—the collaborative exchange of information and discussion about our initiatives to advance aviation safety, security, and pilot assistance, and how learning from the past makes us more effective today and even more so tomorrow.
Let me explain. In 1970, mankind’s third attempt to land a manned vehicle on the moon nearly suffered catastrophe when an oxygen tank exploded two days into the mission. Despite limited resources and the critical need to do makeshift repairs to vital life-support systems, the astronauts, along with a team of Earth-based mission controllers, engineers, and experts, worked tirelessly to ensure that “failure was not an option.” As a result, the three astronauts returned safely to Earth. Although the U.S. aborted the lunar landing mission, we still—nearly 50 years later—talk about the lessons learned in what many call a “successful failure.”
There was another recent successful failure. On August 3, a B-777, flown by an Emirates flight crew, skidded on the runway and burst into flames while landing at Dubai International Airport. And while the accident is still under investigation, the 282 passengers and 18 crewmembers on board survived with very few injuries.
That everyone survived was no accident.
Long before Boeing cuts the first metal for a new airplane, the design is engineered, tested, and peer reviewed. And the design of the B-777 set the tone for industry cooperation. Early in its development, the manufacturer recognized the value of multiple partners and formed the “Working Together” team to draw on the talents and strengths of many. The team—internal and external to the company—came together with the common goal of crafting an airliner that would become the benchmark for safe, long-range travel for the millions of passengers and tons of cargo that it would carry.
And ALPA—the conscience of the industry—was there, bringing the line-pilot perspective to the process. That work earned ALPA, along with others from the Boeing team, the 1995 Collier Trophy. So it’s no coincidence that in the hyper-rare instance of an accident involving a B-777, passenger and crewmember survivability is unprecedented.
This brings me back to the Air Safety Forum, where the information, ideas, and conversation generated are saving lives every day. For example, the very backbone of the modern predictive safety culture—the Safety Management System—has been evolutionary, growing in reach and effectiveness, thanks in part to exposure and discussion at the forum. This year, we discussed new methods to mitigate the risks of transporting dangerous goods, like lithium batteries, that will have positive industrywide implications. We discussed in detail improvements to airport safety—including past successes—with stakeholders who can take the lessons learned and apply them to their airports. Even finding new ways to react to the rare and unexpected—like aircraft accidents and security threats via social media—are fodder to move innovation along.
The Air Safety Forum continues to serve well the cause of aviation safety and security in a way no other gathering can. Through our interactions with government and industry and our directed passion for the profession we love, we help improve upon an air transportation system that’s already world-renowned for its stellar safety record. This is paramount, especially to the lives entrusted to us as pilots and to those we may never meet—like those in the Dubai mishap.
Keep flying safely!
