Air Carrier Safety - History, Statistics, and Forecast - Essay Example

Air Carrier Safety “History, Statistics, and Forecast” Approximately billion people travel each year by air on the many domestic and international airlines. On U.S. air carriers alone, it has been predicted that in the coming two decades, the number of passengers will double. Therefore In this paper, I discuss the history of air carrier safety, and the developments that have made travel more reliable. Next, I discuss the various organizations that help to increase the efficiency of air travel as well as safety. Finally I discuss some of the heath factors that occur during flight and describe the policies that are done to deal with such complications. The first laws that deal with commercial aviation were passed during the 1920’s. One specific act that was critical in the development of the aircraft safety is the Air Commerce Act of 1926 (McDougall, 2007). This act required pilots and aircraft to be examined and licensed for accidents and crashes to be sufficiently investigated. Moreover the establishment of safety rules and navigation aids were established under the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce. Given these advancements in the policy arena, over the course of 1926 and 1927, there were a total of 24 dangerously fatal commercial airline accidents (Bamber, 2009). Furthermore, the following 2 years resulted in a total of 67 accidents which is a record in terms of the worst period of time for accidents in aviation history. The calculated accident rate was about 1 for every 1,000,000 miles flown. If converted to the current rates of travel, such numbers would translate into 7,000 fatal incidents per year (McDougall, 2007). Though 1927 is the most fatal year in terms of airline travel, ever since that year, the number of annual accidents have steadily declined. Furthermore, after 1997 the number total number of fatal airline accidents dropped less than .2 percent of its previous rate with less than 1 for every 2 billion miles flown per person. Consequentially air travel has become one of the most safe methods of travel. It seems as if most accidents are not caused by human error but rather by external conditions that effect travel such as weather (Bamber, 2009). This is empirically proven by the fact that a disproportionate number of all U.S. aircraft crashes occur in Alaska, largely as a result of severe weather conditions. Between 1990-2006 there were 1441 commuter and air taxi crashes in the U.S. of which 373 (26%) were fatal, resulting in 1063 deaths (142 occupational pilot deaths). Alaska accounted for 513 (36%) of the total U.S. crashes. Another component of air carrier safety is protection from attack currently referred to as Safety (Pearson, 1987). While mere protection from crashes in terms of aircraft design is important, it is also important to ensure that the proper security measures are important ensure the safety of each passenger. The terrorist attacks of 2001 are not counted as accidents. However, even if they were counted as accidents they would have added only about 2 deaths per 2,000,000,000 person-miles (McDougall, 2007). Only 2 months following the terrorist attacks, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Queens, NY, killing 256 people, including 5 on the ground, causing 2001 to report an abnormally high fatality rate. Even so, the rate that year including the attacks (estimated here to be about 4 deaths per 1,000,000,000 person-miles), is safe compared to some other forms of transport, if measured by distance traveled. Safety improvements have resulted from improved aircraft design, engineering and maintenance, the evolution of navigation aids, and safety protocols and procedures (McDougall, 2007). It is often reported that air travel is the safest in terms of deaths per passenger mile. The National Transportation Safety Board reports 1.3 deaths per hundred million vehicle miles for travel by car, and 1.7 deaths per hundred million vehicle miles for travel by air. These are not passenger miles. If an airplane has 100 passengers, then the passenger miles are 100 times higher. The number of deaths per passenger mile on commercial airlines in the United States between 1995 and 2000 is about 3 deaths per 10 billion passenger miles. Aviation Safety Network The Aviation Safety Network is a private, independent initiative founded in 1996. This organization has been operational since January 1996, and it covers accidents and safety issues with regards to airliners, military transport planes and corporate jets. Moreover, The Air Safety Networks’ Safety Database contains detailed descriptions of approximately 14,000 aircraft incidents, hijackings and accidents. This network is a website that is responsible for keeping track of the negative factors of the airline industry. Furthermore, their cite receives about 25,000 unique visitors each month. The site was founded by Harro Ranter in 1996 as under the name of Aviation Safety Web Pages. Fabian Lujan offered to Harro Ranter in 1999 to rename and relocate the website. After that it was renamed the Aviation Safety Network (ASN). ASN currently does not run any advertisements on their pages, and therefore it relies strictly on donations to keep the operation of their website going. In 2006 ASN celebrated their 10th year of operations and the data that they produced which led to significant innovations in the industry. ASN has been recognized by many aviation safety bureaus as a reliable source of information through the years. In fact, their mission is to provide everyone with accurate, up-to-date information regarding airline accidents and safety issues. In addition to an extensive database and statistics, there is also a large photo section showing pictures of accidents. The ASN has been critical in the development of polocies that prevent accidents and/or respond to them. Keeping track of this information has allowed states and organizations to create strategies that efficiently Aviation Safety Reporting System: The Aviation Safety Reporting System is the Federal Aviation Administrations voluntary system that allows pilots and other airplane crew members to confidentially report near misses and close calls in the interest of improving air travel safety. The confidential and independent aspect of the ASRS is key to its effectiveness, since the individuals who report do not have to worry about any possible negative consequences of coming forward with safety problems. The ASRS is operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, an objective party. This service preserves its neutrality because NASA has no power in enforcement. The success of the system serves as a positive example that is often used as a model by other industries seeking to make improvements in safety (Breitler, 1996). Reporting Process A notable feature of the ASRS is its confidentiality and immunity policy. Reporters may, but are not required, submit their name and contact information. If the ASRS staff has questions regarding a report, it can perform a callback and request further information or clarification from the reporter. Once the staff is satisfied with the information received, the report is stripped of identifying information and assigned a report number. The part of the reporting form with contact information is detached returned to the reporter. ASRS will issue alerts to relevant parties, such as airlines and air traffic controllers, if it feels it is necessary to improve safety. The ASRS also publishes a monthly newsletter highlighting safety issues, and now has an online database of reports that is accessible by the public. Often, reports are submitted because a rule was accidentally broken. The FAAs immunity policy encourages submission of all safety incidents and observations, especially information that could prevent a major accident. If enforcement action is taken by the FAA against an accidental rule violation that did not result in an accident, a reporter can present their ASRS form as proof that the incident was reported. Not every violator faces consequences because the FAA views the report as evidence of a "constructive safety attitude" and will not impose a penalty. Immunity can be exercised once every five years, though an unlimited number of reports can be filed. Due to the self-selected nature of the reports to the ASRS, NASA cautions against statistical use of the data they contain. On the other hand, they do express considerable confidence in the reliability of the reports submitted: "However, the ASRS can say with certainty that its database provides definitive underestimations of the frequencies at which various types of aviation safety events actually occur. For example, 34,404 altitude overshoots were reported to the ASRS from January 1988 through December 1988. It can be confidently concluded that at a minimum this number of overshoots occurred during the 1988-94 period and probably many more. Often, such lower-bound estimates are all that decision makers need to determine that a problem exists and requires attention." Beyond the organizational implications there have been many advancements in the passenger experience that minimize the health risk and the stress factor associated with travel. Modern commercial aircraft are very safe and, in most cases, reasonably comfortable. However, all flights, short and long haul, impose stresses on all passengers. Preflight, these include airport tumult (e.g., carrying baggage, walking long distances, and flight delays). Inflight stresses include lowered barometric and oxygen pressure, noise and vibration (including turbulence), cigarette smoking (banned on most airlines today), erratic temperatures, low humidity, jet lag, and cramped seating. Nevertheless, healthy passengers endure these stresses which, for the most part, are quickly forgotten once the destination is reached (Smith, 2005). On average, passengers with stable medical conditions typically arrive at the destination airport none the worse. However, there is always the potential that some passengers, particularly those with unstable illness, may become ill during or post-flight due to these stresses. This is also important considering airline safety, and the measures taken to deal with these occurrences is also important (Smith, 2005). The primary difference between the aircraft environment and the ground environment relates to the atmosphere. Contrary to popular belief, modern aircraft are not pressurized to sea level pressure. In fact, most flights have a cabin altitude that is usually between 6,000 and 8,000 ft. (1,828m and 2,438m) even though the aircraft is flying at significantly higher altitudes. In other words, on most flights, it is as if you are on top of a hill or small mountain. This imposes two stresses on the body: less oxygen; and, expansion of gases in the body cavities (Breitler, 1996). 1. With a reduced barometric pressure, there is a decrease in oxygen pressure. However, because of the characteristics of hemoglobin, the chemical in the blood that carries oxygen throughout the body, it remains 90% saturated with oxygen even at the cruising cabin altitude. Although most passengers can normally compensate for this small decrease in saturation, this is not true for individuals with heart, lung, or certain blood diseases (Pavia, 2007). 2. An increase in cabin altitude will cause gases in our body cavities (abdomen, middle ear behind the ear drum, sinuses) to expand as much as 25%. This can cause problems in the abdomen (bloating or stomach cramps), ears (a crackling sensation or ear block), and respiratory tract/sinuses that will be described later (Pavia, 2007). Although there is always some degree of vibration and aircraft turbulence, it is usually very mild. Nevertheless, passengers are always well advised to keep their seat belts secured because there is always the potential of moderate or severe turbulence that could potentially cause injury. Severe turbulence is sometimes unpredictable and may be encountered even on clear days in excellent weather. The hazards of cigarette smoking, active and passive, are well known and need not be recounted here. Unfortunately, some airlines still permit it although the trend is in the inverse direction (Breitler, 1996). There is a worldwide movement to ban inflight smoking with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requesting all member states to comply. On U.S. air carriers, smoking is prohibited on all flights. As a consequence, there has been a vast improvement in cabin air quality and consequentially passenger comfort. Modern airplanes have very low cabin humidity, commonly ranging from 5-15%. This is inevitable due to the fact that air is drawn into the cabin from the outside and at high altitude it is completely devoid of moisture. As a result, there can be a drying effect on airway passages, the eyes, and the skin. On the other hand, the body’s protective mechanisms prevent dehydration and there is no harm to health. Furthermore, Jet lag is a phenomenon that occurs when crossing multiple time zones. Our circadian rhythm, which controls hormone levels, is synchronized to the day/night cycle where we started. When we travel long distances in a matter of hours, we will arrive in another time zone, yet our body is still functioning as if it were in the time zone at the point of origin. This results in symptoms, such as fatigue and sleep disturbances that are well known to travelers. Crossing time zones may not only be an annoyance for well passengers, but it can also complicate the timing of medication dosages such as insulin. On most flights, passengers may be seated in a small, cramped space. This can be uncomfortable and it also reduces the opportunity to get up, stretch, and walk about the cabin. Sitting for long periods is tolerable for most passengers, but for some there is the potential for ankle swelling, cramps, and other circulatory problems. Of particular concern is blood clot formation causing deep venous thrombosis, although there is no evidence that this condition is caused by cramped seating. The future of air carrier safety will be making the in flight experience safer for the differing conditions that were previously discussed. Due to the fact that human error has been almost completely eliminated with the advent of many navigational computer aided flying devices, Human error is obsolete in terms of its contribution to individual incidents. Increasing traveler comfort will be key to making air travel more demanded in the coming years (Smith, 2005). Conclusion Air carrier safety has made significant improvements in terms of the design and travel procedures. Furthermore, there have been significant improvements in terms of the organizational infrastructure that supports the air travel and planning. Moreover, we have realized that the organizations that contribute to airline safety are critical in preventing human errors by improving their working conditions. Both the Air Safety Network and the Air Safety Reporting System are key to ensuring the safety of passenger travel in aircraft. The History of airline travel has seen both an increase and sharp decline in the amount of accidents.The statistics indicate that this is one of the more safe forms of travel. In terms of the future of air travel, it will increase in safety and create mechanism where individuals will be able to have their unique circumstances accounted for while traveling. Additionally, as in-flight security increases, the number of hijackings will decrease. The resources that report on their occurrences have created an informational structure that is used to increase the organizational response. References Bamber, G.J., Gittell, J.H., Kochan, T.A. & von Nordenflytch, A. (2009). "Up in the Air: How Airlines Can Improve Performance by Engaging their Employees". Cornell University Press, Ithaca. http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100965480. Breitler, Alan and Kirk, Kevin (Sep 1996), Effects of Sector Complexity and Controller Experience on Probability of Operational Errors in Air Route Traffic Control Centers, Center for Naval Analyses Document (IPR 95-0092) McDougall, Glen and Roberts, Alasdair S (August 15, 2007). Commercializing Air Traffic Control: Have the Reforms Worked?. Canadian Public Administration. p. Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 45–69, 2009. Pavia, Andrew T. (2007). "Germs on a Plane: Aircraft, International Travel, and the Global Spread of Disease". Journal of Infectious Diseases 195 (5): 621–22. doi:10.1086/511439?cookieSet=1. PMID 17262701. Pearson, David (1987). KAL 007: Cover-up. N.Y.: Summit Books. p. 266. Smith, Paul, Cynthia Furse and Jacob Gunther (Dec 2005). "Analysis of Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry for Wire Fault Location.". IEEE Sensors Journal 5 (6). http://livewiretest.com/analysis-of-spread-spectrum-time-domain-reflectometry-for-wire-fault-location/. Read More