A Safety Management Model for FAR 141 Approved Flight Schools

Abstract

The Safety Management Annex (Annex 19), which became applicable in November 2013, consolidates safety management provisions previously contained in six other International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annexes, and will serve as a resource for overarching state safety management responsibilities. Through Annex 19, ICAO has required that its member states develop and implement safety management systems (SMS) to improve safety. This mandate includes an approved training organization that is exposed to aviation safety risks. In 2015, the FAA published AC 120-92B to provide guidance material for certificate holders operating under FAR 121, to implement and maintain an SMS. This AC may also be used by other aviation service providers interested in voluntarily developing an SMS based on the requirements in 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 5 (14 CFR Part 5). There are numerous reasons for SMS implementation going beyond simple compliance with international or national guidelines. The most important of these is safety enhancement, because it is an intrinsic requirement of the aviation system. There is a vast body of literature regarding SMS, but none of it suggests a model to a specific service provider. The implementation of an SMS model tailored to FAR 141 approved flight schools has the strong potential to yield safety enhancement, through a structured management system to control risks in operation. The purpose of this study is to develop a safety management model for FAR 141 operators, based on the ICAO SMS outlined in Annex 19, and current FAA requirements and safety protocols, as outlined in AC 120-92B.