Story ID: 
Audit Outlines Flight Department Deficiencies
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Argus’s latest annual SMS audit report shows that safety management systems (SMS) and emergency response planning have the highest number of deficiencies a
Word Count: 107
Argus’s latest annual SMS audit report shows that safety management systems (SMS) and emergency response planning have the highest number of deficiencies at corporate flight departments. The report, available online at no charge, is based on 61 audits completed by Argus subsidiary Partners and Resources for Operational Safety last year. According to the report, 67 percent of the audited flight departments lacked an adequate internal evaluation plan and 44 percent came up short in the area of safety committees. Other soft spots included SMS training (41 percent); SMS manuals (34 percent); safety policy (31 percent); flight operations manuals (28 percent); risk assessment (28 percent); and hazard report and tracking (23 percent).