Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) for the management of safety in single pilot operations

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates the feasibility, effectiveness and benefits of implementing a single pilot operations variant of the multi-crew Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) methodology, in the management of safety in single pilot operations. LOSA is designed to provide a proactive snapshot of system safety and flight crew performance as a way of preventing incidents and accidents . The data indicators underlying this effort are based on a conceptual framework known as Threat and Error Management. A number of incidents and accidents involving single pilot operations both in Australia and New Zealand have given emphasis to the vulnerability of this group to safety issues and confirms statistics that show this category of aviation has a higher incidence of accidents and incidents than in other sectors of the industry By adapting LOSA to single pilot operations (LOSA:SP) the framework/methodology could provide a proactive method of diagnosing operational safety performance strengths and weaknesses under normal operations leading to the identification of additional training requirements and improved procedures without relying on adverse safety events for such information. A case study was undertaken at a mid-sized company operating exclusively single-pilot, twin turbo-prop fixed wing aircraft to ascertain whether the methodology was viable in the single-pilot environment. Observers rated pilot performance on a 4 point scale using four standard threat and error counter-measure categories under 12 sub-headings. Whilst the study achieved its objective of determining whether a single-pilot line operations safety audit could be successfully developed, the data were indicative and insufficient for statistical analysis. Larger samples are required from future studies for more definitive conclusions and recommendations about threat and error management.