State of AMTSociety Address
This month AMT magazine is dedicated to training and with that I would like to share with you the Lessons Learned Safety Library. The FAA has established a one-of-a-kind online safety library that teaches “lessons learned” from some of the world’s most historically significant transport airplane accidents — especially how that knowledge can help maintain today’s extraordinary aviation safety record.
Why study aircraft accidents that happened as long as 40 years ago? The FAA believes the lessons learned from these tragedies are timeless and relevant to today’s aviation community. By learning from the past, aviation professionals can use that knowledge to recognize key factors, and potentially prevent another accident from occurring under similar circumstances in the future.
In its initial release, the library lists 11 major airplane accidents that made an impact on the way the aviation industry and the FAA conduct business today. The FAA’s goal is to stock the library with 40 more historically significant accidents by the end of 2010.
Each accident entry features the accident investigation findings, resulting safety recommendations, and subsequent regulatory and policy changes, if any. The entry also includes sections on the unsafe conditions that existed, precursors that pointed to an impending accident, and the basic safety assumptions made during the airplane’s design or that lead to the airplane’s continued operation.
Most important, the lessons learned are explained in detail, and grouped into relevant technical areas and common themes, such as organizational lapses, flawed assumptions, preexisting failures, and unintended consequences or design choices.
The FAA believes that the library can help foster a culture in which aviation professionals capture and use day-to-day information from certification, maintenance, and operational activities to improve safety. The expected benefits include more consistent safety decisions and fewer safety problems caused by breakdowns in communication. It can be found at http://accidents-11.faa.gov.
Have a great summer, enjoy time with your family, but above all else, be safe.
— Tom Hendershot
Mark your calendars
2010-2011 IA Roadshow
Sept. 11, 2010, Crimson Technical College, Inglewood, CA
Sept. 22, 2010, Spartan School of Aeronautics, Tulsa, OK
Oct. 13, 2010, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Oct. 18, 2010, NBAA Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA
Oct. 27, 2010, Mahwah, NJ
Nov. 3, 2010, Sacramento, CA
Nov. 17, 2010, Pittsburgh, PA
Dec. 8, 2010, Seattle, WA
Jan. 12, 2011, Express Jet Airlines Training Center, Houston, TX
Jan. 26, 2011, Atlanta, GA
Feb. 9, 2011, Phoenix, AZ
Feb. 16, 2011, Kansas City, MO
Feb. 23-24, 2011, Aviation Industry Expo, Las Vegas
New: March 9, 2011, WATC, Wichita, KS
March 16, 2011, Aurora, CO
April 9, 2011, ATEC Annual Meeting & FAA/DME Renewal, Orlando, FL
