The FAA recently published Advisory Circular AC 120-92D to help operators comply with new rules that require certain operators to develop safety management systems (SMS) under FAR Part 5. The new requirements apply to Part 135 on-demand operators, air tour operators, Part 21 design or production certificate holders, and certain Part 91 operators approved to conduct air tours.
The 130-page document also updates a 2015 AC and applies to operators previously required to have an SMS under Part 5, such as Part 121 and 135 airlines. This revised circular also might assist aviation organizations interested in receiving “FAA acknowledgment” of their voluntary development and implementation of an SMS. Additionally, the AC provides organizations with a method to meet ICAO Annex 19, which addesses “safety management framework for an SMS acceptable to the state.”
Because operators range widely in complexity and size, the circular states that SMS policies, methods, and procedures can be tailored as needed. However, this scalability “does not allow the aviation organization to set aside any sections of Part 5.” The AC provides some examples of how an organization may integrate “new practical, economical, and effective SMS methods and procedures that complement their existing operations and processes while leveraging the policies, procedures, or methods already in place that comply with Part 5.”