GAFB 97

So, just what are the main issues in GA?

You might be surprised by some of the problems and how to deal with them

As I write this editorial we’re just over halfway through the year so I thought it would be useful to give an idea of the main themes reported to CHIRP in the first 6 months.

The sundial chart at the end shows the associated top GA Key Issues on the inner circle and their relevant sub-issues on the outer wheel. Each report we receive can be ascribed more than one Key Issue or sub-issue and so care needs to be taken in interpreting the chart because one report might feature in a number of sectors but the aggregated results are informative in showing what the main themes have been so far this year.

In this respect, ‘Procedures’ represents the most common theme to date, representing 21% of the issues we’ve had reported. Most of the problems we’ve seen have been in the faulty application of, or did not follow, procedures. But a sizeable chunk also covers lack of understanding and poor knowledge so there’s definitely a case for reviewing some of those aspects of flying that you’re uncertain of or don’t encounter on a day-to-day basis so that you understand and are ready to apply the correct procedures whenever called on – time to review your aircraft’s pilot’s operating handbook and your home base airfield operations manual perhaps.

Defences’ refers to how well we are equipped to anticipate and deal with problems that arise. Some problems are difficult to anticipate because they may be insidious in their manifestation, but one of the things we can help ourselves with here is in conducting a thorough Threat and Error Management (TEM) process to assess what might go wrong and what risks might be present. Threats relate to the external things that might go wrong, whilst Errors relate to things that we might get wrong ourselves. TEM is the deliberate thought process that we should conduct before (and during) a flight so that we continually review what we’re about to do so that we can anticipate problems. There are of course endless things that one could list as potential problems but focusing on the existential ones is a good start: what would I do if my take-off performance doesn’t match expectations; what if the enroute weather isn’t as good as forecast; what would I do if the engine quits or runs rough; do I have a Plan B if my destination airfield is closed or weathered out; what would I do if I had a comms failure; have I properly studied the destination airfield topography and strip lengths etc?

Communications – External’ is all about making ourselves understood, and understanding what’s being said to us. I featured this in the recent GA FEEDBACK Ed 145 editorial so I won’t labour the point except to highlight the need to use the recognised phrases and pro-words on the radio rather than cool and trendy slang, and to speak clearly and deliberately so that everyone else has the chance to understand exactly what you’re saying. Safety Sense Leaflet 22 provides a good aide memoire about communications and radiotelephony in general that’s not too heavy going so it’s worth a read.

Situational Awareness’ and ‘Airmanship’ often go hand-in-hand so it’s not surprising that, together, they represent a largish chunk of the issues that we see. Improving Situational Awareness often comes down to taking advantage of all the information sources that are available to you so that you can synthesise the best understanding you can about what’s going on. Thorough pre-flight planning, electronic navigation aids, Electronic Conspicuity systems, being on a useful frequency, listening to and passing information to others, and making use of ATC when it’s available are all ways of building as comprehensive a picture as you can. Airmanship is then, to a large part, often about how you use that picture to best advantage through the 3 ‘C’s of Caution, Consideration and Courtesy for others, and then making appropriate decisions to choose the best course of action.

Finally, ‘Individual Error’ covers a wide range of actions that may or may not be circumstantial and are mostly unintentional. Never forget that you’re human, and humans make mistakes and errors, so it’s back to that TEM thing again where you need to be honest in your personal analysis of your weaknesses and potential lack of experience or currency! The exception being ‘complacency’, which is pretty much an own-goal in performance terms. ‘Don’t assume, check’, and ‘Assume makes an ass out of u and me’ are well worn phrases but their meaning is clear. Every day is a learning day in aviation so don’t accept poor planning, poor behaviours, ‘that doesn’t look right but I’ll carry on’ or ‘it’ll be OK this once’ because that’ll be the day something comes and bites you on the bum.

The bottom-line? CHIRP provides a vital safety net as another route to promote change when the normal channels of reporting aren’t delivering results, you don’t feel able to report through formal Occurrence Reporting systems, and for collecting reports with safety concerns that did not meet the threshold for normal reporting and would otherwise have gone unwritten. We rely on you to report Human Factors aviation-related safety concerns to us so that we can both help in their resolution and highlight relevant issues to others. Reporting is easy by using either our website portal or our App (scan the appropriate QR code shown or search for ‘CHIRP Aviation’ – avoiding the birdsong apps that come up!). In our reporting portal you’ll be presented with a series of fields to complete, of which you fill in as much as you feel is relevant – not every field is mandatory, but the more information you can give us the better. Although you’ll need to enter your email address to get access to the portal, none of your details are shared outside CHIRP, and we have our own independent secure database and IT systems to ensure confidentiality.

GA Key Issues & sub-issues reported to CHIRP Jan-Jun 2023