Third Assumption

The third assumption is that current ARMS inspections continue to incorporate comprehensive checklist used to evaluate resource management and assist in improving operational readiness and safety for USAREUR aviation.

Definition of Terms

ARMS Team -- Comprised of subject matter experts within each aviation functional areas such as: aircraft armament, airfield and heliport operations, aviation life-support systems (ALSSs), aviation maintenance, aviation night vision goggle (NVG) maintenance, aviation safety, flight operations, petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) operations, standardization and aircrew training program (ATP).

CLASS a ACCIDENT - an Army accident in which the resulting total cost of property damage is $1,000,000 or more; an Army aircraft or missile is destroyed, missing, or abandoned; or an injury and/or occupational illness results in a fatality or permanent total disability. (Department of the Army Regulation 385-40, 1 November 1994)

CLASS B. ACCIDENT - an Army accident in which the resulting total cost of property damage is $200,000 or more, but less than $1, 000,000; an injury and/or occupational illness results in permanent partial disability, or when five or more personnel are hospitalized as inpatients as the result of a single occurrence. (Department of the Army Pamphlet 385-40, 1 November 1994)

CLASS C. ACCIDENT - an Army accident in which the resulting total cost of property damage is $10,000 or more, but less than $200,000; a nonfatal injury that causes any loss of time from work beyond the day or shift on which it occurred; or a nonfatal occupational illness that causes loss of time from work (for example, 1 work day) or disability at any time (lost time case). (Department of the Army Pamphlet 385-40, 1 November 1994)

Acronyms

ADA -- Airline Deregulation Act

AR -- Army Regulation

ALSSs -- Aviation Life Support Systems

ARMS -- Aviation Resource Management Survey

ASMIS -- Army Safety Management Information System

ASNCO -- Aviation Safety NCO

ASO -- Aviation Safety Officer

ATP -- Aircrew Training Program

CAA -- Civil Aeronautics Act

CAB -- Civil Aeronautics Board

CRM -- Composite Risk Management

CSC -- Command Safety Council

DA Pam -- Department of the Army Pamphlet

ECOD -- Estimated Cost of Damage

ESC -- Enlisted Safety Council

FAA -- Federal Aviation Administration

FM -- Field Manual

FORSCOM -- U.S.. Army Forces Command

IP -- Instructor Pilot

MACOM - Major Army Command

METT-TC -- Mission, Enemy, Terrain and Weather, Troop and Support Available, Time

Available, Civil Considerations

MRM -- Maintenance Resource management

NATI -- National Air Transportation Inspection

NVG -- Night Vision Goggle

OHR -- Operational Hazard Report

POL -- Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants

RAC -- Risk Assessment Codes

SP -- Standardization Instructor Pilot

SOP -- Standard Operating Procedures

TC -- Training Circulars

USACRC -- United States Army Combat Readiness Center

UASSD -- USAREUR Aviation Safety and Standardization Detachment

USAREUR -- United States Army Europe and Seventh Army

CHAPTER II

REVIEW of RELEVANT LITERATURE and RESEARCH

History of Aviation Safety

The work of Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley (2005) entitled: "History of Aviation Safety Oversight in the United States" relates that federal aviation safety with the Air Mail Service, including a safety program that featured "strict selection criteria for pilots and rigorous maintenance" (p.v). This programs' value was realized through the lowering of fatality rates when "compared with unregulated itinerant commercial fliers" (p.v). This led to a call for regulation of civil aviation by the industry leaders in aviation resulting in the Air Commerce Act being passed in 1926 establishing the Aeronautics Branch (AB) in the Department of Commerce, and made it responsible for licensing and ensuring the airworthiness of aircraft and certifying airmen" (p.v). In the early days of airline safety the leaders of the AB held an objective that was "not so much to regulate as to promote." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.v). The intention was safety improvement without excessive regulations that increased costs dramatically. During this period of aviation AB leaders generally consulted with leaders of business prior to issuing rules and setting regulations in order to "accommodate industry." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.v). Aircraft were even granted temporary certificates by the AB allowing them a space of time to correct any noted deficiencies and as well as the AB "work constantly to modify the rules in the face of experience and rapid development of the aviation industry" (p.v).

In 1930, "certification requirements were extended to business enterprises engaged in aviation, such as airlines and flight schools." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.v) From the very start,...

While accidents eventually "became the exception rather that the rule" however, when they did occur and most notably when there were "several in a short time period" the public's attention was heightened which led to excessive rules "causing rule adherence to supplant safety as the primary goal." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.vi)
In 1959, the Federal Aviation Agency was assigned as responsible for safety oversight with the Bureau of Flight Standards absorbing the Office of Flight Operations and Airworthiness while "also absorbing the safety rulemaking authority that had previously belonged to the CAB, "(Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.vii) the FAA is responsible for development of the capacity for quick diagnosis and solution proposal however political challenges remained to implementation of the solutions. In 1966, the FAA "was absorbed into the newly created Department of Transportation. Accident investigation responsibility was also shifted from the CAB to the newly created National Transportation Safety Board." (p. x)

In 1978, the Airline Deregulation Act (ADA) was passed by Congress. This Act served to liberalize the economic regulation of airline fares and routes as well "curtailed the authority of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) the agency that administered the economic regulations, until it was finally abolished in 1985." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.x) the structure, conducted and performance of the aviation industry was dramatic changed by economic deregulation. (paraphrased) in 1984, the Department of Transportation Secretary "initiated the National Air Transportation Inspection (NATI) effort" (p.x). This program was "both a broad and deep surveillance effort in which all major and commuter airlines received additional inspections." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.xi) This represented the "first comprehensive audit of the surveillance element of the safety oversight program, and it provided data that could be used to change the safety oversight system." (p.xi) a following review of the safety oversight by the Safety Activity Functional Evaluation (SAFE) resulted in an extension of the efforts of the NATI program and "called for increased standardization in safety oversight." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.xi)

The FAA responded by creating the National Work Program Guidelines that focused on standardization of the "inspection process while taking into account risk precursors." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.vi) Additionally, the FAA and stakeholders collaborated in efforts and new requirements were issued by the FAA in addressing the issue of structural integrity of older aircraft assurance. The complexity of the oversight system increased as efforts were made to introduce new systems including systems for data collection and information technology systems. This new complexity resulted in" more complex analysis, training, data collection, and administration." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.xi) Because of the problems that were inherent with implementation of new data collection systems and databases as well as the challenges associated with systems design, questions arose concerning whether the needed information to decide compliance and make safety assessment was actually possessed.

The FAA began, in the early 1990s to "pursue system safety strategies for the safety oversight systems." (Hansen, McAndrews and Berkeley, 2005, p.xii) Stated as one of the "pivotal events in the history of FAA's oversight was the crash of ValuJet Flight 592…