Operational mishap and incident reports by phase of flight

Abstract

Voluntary reporting programs such as the Aviation Safety Action Program and Aviation Safety Reporting System exist so that organizations are able to detect problems, trends, and hazards during flight operations and make iterative improvements, constituting proactive safety management. Reporting systems are an integral component of safety management systems for flight schools. Understanding the difference in mishap frequency by phase of flight will help the aviation industry become more aware of when errors are occurring during flight training. This study examined the Operational Mishap and Incident Reports (OMIRs) from a collegiate flight program in the southeastern United States. De-identified data from the OMIRs for 2015-2017 were provided for the study. All reports were classified into seven phases of flight: ground-parked, ground-moving, takeoff and climb, cruise, maneuvers, pattern operations, and descent and landing. There was a significant difference in the frequency of OMIRs by phase of flight. Ground phases, both parked and taxiing, had the highest frequency of reports, followed by descent and landing.