2009 Safety Statistics Confirm Improved 135 Safety Record
At 3:30 p.m. yesterday, I received an email from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) with a header that said, “NTSB RELEASES 2009 AVIATION ACCIDENT STATISTICS; ON-DEMAND ACCIDENTS AT LOWEST LEVEL IN LAST 20 YEARS.” I read the email and just smiled. I smiled because this is an accomplishment of which this community should be incredibly proud, especially when you consider how the Part 135 on-demand air taxi industry has been under fire for years from Capitol Hill, the media and regulators for its safety record that is generally compared to the Part 121 world. As FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Peggy Gilligan stated at a recent hearing though, comparing the Part 121 industry’s safety record to the Part 135 community’s is like comparing apples to oranges. This makes the NTSB’s announcement even more satisfying considering the vast array of operations performed in Part 135 in every type of weather condition and geographical setting known to man.
For the better part of the last three years, the Part 135 community has worked diligently to take important steps to improve its safety record through enhanced audits, safety data reporting, Safety Management System implementation, risk assessment and many, many other important safety measures. It is the very reason why the Air Charter Safety Foundation exists today, to raise the safety bar for the Part 135 industry. I applaud every operator in the Part 135 community who has taken many of the steps listed above to improve safety within their operation. The community rarely gets the credit it deserves, especially when folks like the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General discredit the industry with poorly researched and unsubstantiated reports such as the one it issued last July. But now, this industry deserves recognition for its tireless efforts to improve safety.
Thanks to all Part 135 operators for their great work. While there is never a time to rest on your laurels, especially when it comes to aviation safety, you all should be proud of this major accomplishment.
ERB
Visit the Air Charter Safety Foundation at www.acsf.aero
April 9, 2010 at 4:32 pm
[...] Shortly after the release of this analysis, I penned a blog for the Air Charter Safety Foundation cr… I now hope that those who have long discredited the safety record of the Part 135 community will step up and give credit where credit is due. For years, the mainstream media, Congress, the Department of Transportation Inspector General (calling Ms. Schiavo), think tanks and many an “aviation safety expert” have denigrated the safety record of the on-demand community, failing to recognize the unique weather and geographical conditions the Part 135 operates into and out of on a daily basis as well as the types of [...]