New NBAA Group To Raise Awareness on LOC-I

As loss of control in flight (LOC-I) remains one of the most pressing concerns in flight operations, NBAA has established a working group to delve into key factors related to LOC-I and raise awareness of the importance of training and other mitigation methods for operators. Paul “BJ” Ransbury, president of upset prevention and recovery training specialist Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), is stepping in to lead the new working group.

NBAA retained LOC-I as one of its top safety issues this year, alongside the single-pilot accident rate, runway excursions and collisions on the ground at airports. The association notes that LOC-I was linked to 40 percent of fixed-wing general aviation accidents from 2001 to 2011, responsible for more fatalities in business and commercial operations than any other accident category.

The issue is one that is highlighted in the broader aviation community. The NTSB has identified LOC-I as one of its “Most Wanted” safety issues and the International Civil Aviation Organization has also listed it as a priority.

“The data shows this continues to be an issue and it will be the focus for the industry for the foreseeable future,” said Mark Larsen, NBAA senior manager of safety and flight operations. Larsen added that a large amount of data is being collected, and the working group will look into issues that are most pertinent to business aviation.

“Our team’s goals are to establish valuable and effective resources for individual pilots and flight department safety managers to maximize their air safety and ultimately to overcome aviation’s leading fatal threat, loss of control in flight,” Ransbury said of the working group’s plans.

NBAA has already begun to develop such resources. As part of its focus on single-pilot safety, the association’s Safety Committee, along with the Single Pilot Working Group, has developed a video that highlights some factors that lead to LOC-I along with suggestions for mitigation.

This video demonstrates what can happen in the cockpit, as well as with ATC communications during single-pilot operations. The Safety Committee also assembled an accompanying PowerPoint presentation as a training aid.

But as the Single Pilot Working Group and the larger Safety Committee have focused on LOC-I, they have come to realize that the issue is so broad and pervasive that it merits a separate working group, Larsen said.