The National Transportation Safety Board is unhappy that Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAP) have recently been discontinued by some major air carriers, including American Airlines and US Airways.
ASAP, which has been in existence among many air carriers since the early 1990s, encourages pilots, mechanics, and flight dispatchers to voluntarily report any safety-related incidents and, in return, receive immunity from disciplinary action. These programs identify and correct safety issues before they cause accidents.
“The Safety Board is concerned that these proactive, voluntary disclosure programs, in which pilots, mechanics, and dispatchers become additional ‘eyes and ears’ dedicated to aviation safety, are no longer available at several major air carriers,” said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “ASAP programs are a critical tool for addressing potential safety issues.”
The Safety Board believes that proactive safety programs, which encourage voluntary disclosure of safety issues, are crucial to ensuring aviation safety and identifying problems before they lead to accidents. Their elimination could put aviation safety at risk.
“The NTSB strongly urges all parties to do what is needed to reinstate proactive safety programs and keep existing programs viable and fully functioning,” Rosenker said.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell urges air carriers and labor unions to resolve their differences and keep voluntary reporting programs in place, stressing their importance and value to aviation safety.
“Using safety as a chip at the bargaining table is unconscionable,” Sturgell said. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to separate safety from labor issues. These voluntary reporting programs are crucial to safety, and it’s disappointing to see them cast aside at a time when they’re needed most.”
Sturgell’s call for action followed the recent failure by US Airways and its pilots to agree on continuing involvement in the carrier’s ASAP. Previously, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and their pilots could not agree to continue ASAP participation.
The FAA this year implemented a voluntary reporting program with its air traffic controllers and plans to expand the program to include maintenance technicians. Just last month, American Airlines and its flight attendants began an ASAP program.
Today, more than 70 operators have almost 170 programs covering pilots, mechanics, flight attendants and dispatchers.
Airlines and pilot organizations should reinstate voluntary safety reporting programs to ensure the highest possible level of protection for the traveling public, said AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey
Recent decisions by several U.S. commercial air carriers to discontinue safety incident disclosure agreements are “troubling” and the parties involved must put safety first and contractual disputes second, said Blakey, a former FAA administrator.
“Programs like ASAP are vital tools in aviation safety and have played a large role in making the last several years some of the safest in history,” Blakey said. “These programs should be reinstated as soon as possible.”