INTRODUCTION
Safety is of paramount importance wherever humans are involved, be it home, workplace, or in a vehicle. In aviation, safety determines the very existence of the industry. This is achieved through an intricate network of procedures that prevent errors and omissions, as well as processes that are in place to capture such lapses. Failure to do so may result in accident. Considering the cost of accidents, all hands must be on deck to prevent such undesirable consequences.
AVIATION SAFETY
Aviation safety is a step towards the prevention of accidents and incidents in the aviation industry. It is the practice of continually reducing the risk of accidents and incidents within the aerodrome. This entails not only the safe operation of aircraft, but also the safety and well being of personnel involved behind the scenes.
Aviation is a complex business and involves the participation of people in more spheres than one. From the manufacturer, maintenance, ground support, ATC, flight crew, and even passengers, every agency plays a role in the safe operations of every flight.
AVIATION GROUND ACCIDENTS
This describes occurrences that result in damages to aircrafts, equipment, facilities and/or persons operating especially within the apron and around the aircraft while on the ground. Aviation ground accidents are mostly Ground Collision (GCOL), also known as terrain collision. This refers to a collision that occurs while an aircraft is taxiing to or from the runway. Ground collision can also be said to have occurred when an aircraft collides with another aircraft, structure, building, obstacle, ground vehicle, or a person.
PHASES OF AIRCRAFT GROUND OPERATIONS WHERE ACCIDENTS OCCUR
Among the phases of aircraft ground operations where accidents can occur are:
🔹 Ground handling operations
This remains a significant and persistent source of avoidable ground accidents, injuries and deaths that continue to endanger airport staff and passengers, while also impacting on airports’ operating budgets, delay rates and overall reputations. Most ground occurrences happen when the aircraft is parked, e.g. during maintenance, loading and unloading. Relatively, a high number of events involve airbridges; and the parts that usually sustain damage in such cases are the fuselage (especially the doors) and the engines.
🔹 Aircraft Towing
This is another risky phase. Incidents during this phase often result in damage to the landing gear, wings or empennage.
🔹 Taxiing aircraft
Taxiing aircraft participate in ground events relatively less often. A frequent outcome of such incidents is wingtip damage. When on the ground, aircrafts face far more risks from the various other participants sharing that airport real estate – and not only other airplanes: fuel trucks, tugs, support vehicles, catering trucks, buildings, obstacles. Indeed, the ground area of an airport is a very busy place!
However, it is believed that an accident or incident is rarely by chance. it is the coming together of various causal factors that stack up sequentially and converge into a single point in time, where the last trigger results in the overlap of all failed barriers.
CONTRIBUTORS TO GROUND ACCIDENTS
Ground damage events usually do not occur for a single reason, but for a combination of errors or violations, latent factors and specific circumstances.
⛔ Errors and Violations are part of the human factors domain, the difference being that:
— an Error means the results do not match the plan (either because the plan was faulty or because the plan was good, but was carried out improperly). In this case, the person did not know that he is doing the wrong thing until the results became obvious.
— a Violation is an intentional deviation from a procedure. The person is aware that a particular behaviour is risky or improper, but carry out the action nonetheless. It should be noted, however, that such deviations are often made as a result of conflicting demands (e.g. safety procedures vs. efficiency targets).
⛔ Latent factors are sometimes noticed only after an occurrence has happened. An example of this would be an inadequate procedure or equipment. The inadequacy may remain hidden for a long time (i.e. until a particular set of circumstances coincide). Another issue with latent factors is that they may remain unaddressed even after an incident has happened and it may take several events until the risk is properly recognized and rectified.
⛔ Specific circumstances serve as a catalyst to a situation. These can be environmental factors (time of day, precipitation, fog, strong/gusting winds, etc.), equipment degradation (overall malfunction, specific component failure, etc.) or human-factor related (e.g. interpersonal conflict, distraction, fatigue, etc.).
SELECTED SCENARIOS OF AVIATION GROUND ACCIDENTS
- Airbridge Failure /Malfunctioning
A jet bridge collapsed and ripped the door off of a Philadelphia-bound Boeing 787-8 on the 9th of July, 2023. Flight AA723 was supposed to fly from Dublin Airport (DUB) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), but when the attached jet bridge collapsed, the plane’s second door got caught and fell to the ground.
- Towing incident
On December 6, 2015, a Boeing 737-800 was being manoeuvred by tug from its departure gate at Singapore to the position where it was permitted to commence taxiing under its own power, when the tug lost control of the aircraft, the tow bar broke and the two collided.
- Taxing
On 20th April, 2010, the left wing of an Antonov Design Bureau An124-100 which was taxiing in to park after a night landing at Zaragoza under marshalling guidance was in collision with two successive lighting towers on the apron. Both towers and the left wingtip of the aircraft were damaged. The subsequent investigation attributed the collision to allocation of an unsuitable stand and lack of appropriate guidance markings.
GROUND ACCIDENT PREVENTION
While ground accidents cannot be completely eliminated, their numbers can be reduced and impact on the safety of subsequent operations can be mitigated. From a proactive perspective, the best strategy for a safe aviation industry is accident prevention which can be achieved through the following:
✅ Continuous Safety Improvement
Ground damage event should not directly harm the safety of flight because it should be detected and reported. Unreported damage, however, may affect the safety of flight. Thus, the efficiency of ground accident reporting systems is paramount to the safety of flight operations. People may not report events either because they are afraid of the consequences or simply because they do not feel the event is worth reporting. Still, if people are reluctant to report, problems may remain hidden for a long time, ultimately resulting in or contributing to an accident. Improved safety is a reflection of risk management. It is the identification of problems before they become a significant issue; and identification of hazards before they become risks and then reporting appropriately.
We come across hazards in everyday life all the time. It may be riding without a helmet, driving without seat belts, a damaged handrail at home, or deviating from checklists and SOPs at work. Timely reporting of these deviations can break the chain and save serious injury or loss of life. Each one of us needs to be compliant, vigilant, and sincere in our commitment to not overlook even the smallest hazard that we may come across and to proactively intervene in time and report it immediately before someone gets hurt. We cannot choose to look the other way because that someone could be us.
✅ Collaborative Approach of Sharing Knowledge
This is what we are doing here. It is one way of preventing ground accident. Sharing knowledge between organizations that are involved in designing and production of aircraft and its equipment, regulatory authority, operators of aircraft, Air Traffic Control, and airport infrastructure operator. This collaborative approach is more effective than regulatory action alone because this continuously advances safety in all aspects of the global air transport system.
✅ Engaging New Technologies Enhancement
New safety-enhancing technology has been developed through research, development, and collaboration. These developed sophisticated technologies have helped to improve aviation safety and provide distinct safety advantages. Technology is being looked to as an enabler of better safety in ground handling operations, from manufacturers including more advanced sensors and auto-navigating systems to their ground support equipment, to more holistic digitalisation of the entire aircraft turnaround process and implementation of more advanced safety management systems (SMS). Glass cockpit, Terrain avoidance warning systems like Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (E-GPWS) and Predictive Wind-shear equipment are excellent examples of how technology has made aviation safer and prevent ground accident.
✅ Reducing Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Operational Incidents
A study from IATA in 2016 found that GSE operations cause 47% of all aircraft ground damage, leading to a radical rethink in many quarters on how to deliver better ground handling solutions.
From inefficiencies involving multiple ground handlers, to lack of standardised procedures, there is a lot to contend with. While every airport has its own unique issues and circumstances, effort should be made accordingly, to raise the safety level of GSE and ground handling operations’ without compromising on their efficiency. Ground handlers are supposed to be safety conscious and to follow documented procedures, but are also pressured to keep on schedule, and to prevent delays that are visible to passengers. Sometimes it is difficult to meet all efficiency and safety goals simultaneously. Ground handlers often need to make a choice as to which goal is perceived by the Supervisors to be currently most important. At times they may choose efficiency (most work completed in the least amount of time) over safety considerations, essentially making a speed-accuracy trade-off. This commercial pressure should be reduced. The line between safety and efficiency should be clear. In general, the need of trade-off between safety and efficiency should not occur.
✅ Improved training modernising ground handling staff training programmes is a priority area for all airports, since despite the trend of growing automation in the aviation industry, human operators are still essential in making ground operations as smooth and safe as they can be. Introduction of new training techniques and support tools will be crucial in helping airports ensure that their employees are always ready for the rigours of daily operations.
✅ Adopting Global Standards
IATA has been pushing for the global adoption of its safety guidelines and regulatory frameworks, such as the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO), in order to ensure a level of operational consistency and safety across the industry worldwide. This is considered essential by the group for cutting down on incidents related to non-standard GSE configurations and ground handling procedures.
✅ Improving Airport Design
Alongside the improvements to GSE and staff training, airports are also looking to improve the design of their infrastructure and critical systems to better account for ground handling operational needs. This concept extends from the more efficient design of runways and aprons, to the implementation of automated terminals, driverless passenger transport systems, smart parking features and more.
CONCLUSION
Identifying safety risks and introducing the best practices is an all-in-one solution to improve aviation safety and prevent accidents.
REFERENCES
- Aircraft Ground Damage l SKYbrary Aviation Safety. http://SKYbrary.aero
- Analyzing Human Error in aircraft Ground Damage Incidents http://www.caa.co.uk
- Aviation Industry Safety: How to Prevent Accidents http://national.claims.co.uk
- Aviation Safety: Ground Accident and their Prevention
http://studycorgi.com - Ground Accident Prevention (GAP)
http://flight safety.org - Ground Collision http://skybrary.aero
- Latent Dangers http://flight safety.org
- Safety in Aircraft Ground Handling l Why Airport Ramps Safety is an Important Topic in Aviation. http://aviationlearnings.com
- What is Aviation Safety? http://aviationsafetyblog.asms.pro.com
