NBAA has pledged to work with the business aviation community on procedural compliance in response to an NTSB safety recommendation stemming from the May 31, 2014 Gulfstream IV crash at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass. The NTSB had pointed to the flight crew’s “habitual noncompliance with checklists” as a contributor to the probable cause of the runway overrun crash that killed all seven aboard, and during a September 9 Board meeting questioned how prevalent systemic procedures noncompliance is in the business aviation community.
“An analysis of corporate flight operations quality assurance centerline data specifically evaluating the rate of noncompliance with flight control checks before takeoff could help define the scope of procedural noncompliance in business aviation and guide the development of strategies to address it,” the Safety Board said in its findings. The NTSB specifically addressed a recommendation to NBAA, asking the association to work with business aviation flight operational quality assurance groups to analyze existing data for noncompliance with manufacturer-required routing flight control checks and to provide the results of the analysis to members.
The Safety Board will often issue recommendations seeking assistance from industry associations on safety issues, and in past has directed 10 toward NBAA. The association, noting that all of the past recommendations were addressed, said it “stands ready” to work on the latest recommendation. “Procedural compliance with checklists, standard operating procedures, regulations and company policies is critical to aviation safety,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.