Pilots to consider VASI proposal

Nationally, political climate is ripe for cooperation on safety issues

[Published in the November 1999 edition of Reporting Point, the monthly newsletter of the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association.]

By David Stewart
Communications Director

Between November 23 and December 23, SWA pilots will be asked to voice their opinion on a proposal designed to promote the flow of aviation safety information.
The Voluntary Aviation Safety Information (VASI) program is a three-part program that will gather critical safety information from SWA pilots and the aircraft themselves. Eventually, the program may be expanded to include dispatchers and maintenance personnel.
Part one, ASAP (Aviation Safety Action Partnership), provides pilots with a means of reporting irregularities without fear of FAA enforcement action or Company reprisal.
Part two, the SWA Disclosure Program, gives pilots the assurance that their reports will be used only to improve air safety procedures, not to violate dispatchers or maintenance personnel.
Part three, FDAP (Flight Data Analysis Program), is a systematic review and analysis of carefully controlled flight data obtained from the Flight Data Acquisition and Management System (FDAMS) on board Southwest aircraft.
"What we are trying to do," said Ted Lawson, SWAPA's Air Safety Committee Chairman, "is to create a non-threatening system that promotes communication and air safety."
"We want to eliminate the adversarial relationship between the pilots, SWA and the FAA. VASI is designed to point us all in the same direction, toward the goal of safer skies," Lawson added.
By studying irregularities and incidents, the VASI program will help pilots and management implement new procedures to prevent such problems in the future.

The ASAP and Disclosure programs encourage pilots to share air safety information by protecting them from punitive action by SWA or the FAA. Does ASAP work? It has at other airlines.
According to Mark Clayton, SWA Manager of Flight Safety, officials at American Airlines witnessed a 300 percent increase in the number of disclosures after the implementation of its ASAP program.
"What does this mean?" asked Clayton. "ASAP protects other certificate-holding airmen as well, such as dispatchers and A&P mechanics."
"It is important to protect each group because there is valuable information to be gained from each. Underneath this non-reprisal umbrella, we can encourage them to volunteer more information that will make the skies safer for everyone."
Dispatchers have been added to American Airlines ASAP program and the airline is working to put the mechanics on the program in the near future. The intention at SWA is to roll out the ASAP program with the pilots first and then add the dispatchers and maintenance personnel once all the details have been worked out.
One pilot, who must be approved by both SWAPA and the Company, will manage the ASAP program. The manager will oversee an Event Review Team (ERT) that will study each individual case. The ERT will consist of one SWAPA pilot, one Company pilot and an FAA representative.
These three must work together to reach a unanimous consensus on each and every event. "American has had 18,000 events reviewed in the four years they've run the program. They've reached unanimous consensus on all of them," Lawson pointed out.
"If an ERT can't reach a consensus, the program ceases to exist." Lawson added, "By requiring unanimous consensus, the program forces the ERT to focus on what really happened in the incident and to avoid placing blame."
Until SWA is able to implement ASAP beyond the pilot group, Disclosure will protect others from punitive action. The SWA Disclosure Program was established seven years ago as a partnership program between the FAA and SWA. It is designed to encourage the airline to report, without fear of punitive action, events that are in violation of the FARs. The airline then works with the FAA to propose procedural changes that will prevent such events from recurring.
"If something is wrong with a log book signoff, the pilot will write up an ASAP report. If improper paperwork incriminates a mechanic, that mechanic will be protected through the Disclosure process. It is linked to ASAP because they are intertwined," Clayton explained.

Numerous airlines worldwide have been using a flight data analysis program in some form for over 25 years. "The SWA Flight Data Analysis Program (FDAP) plans on using validated parameters used by British Airways," said Clayton.
"These parameters give you a really good idea of what the airplane is doing," Lawson added. "This is just a way to look at what the airplane is doing at a particular time."
"The whole process is very secure, the data is encrypted and the ID strips are destroyed after seven days." Lawson explained. "The only way the gate keeper can get back to the flight crew is within six days. The only individual able to put the ID back with an event is a SWAPA member who is approved by SWA and SWAPA. After seven days the ID strip is destroyed."
One Company pilot and one SWAPA pilot will administer FDAP. They will analyze the data, but they will not have any means to identify the crew involved. The chance that a pilot will be contacted by the SWAPA "gate keeper" is very remote. During the four years in which Continental has administered a similar program, analyzers have, to date, only found it necessary to question the flight crew one time.
US Airways, United, and Continental are some of the airlines already using a flight data analysis program. "FDAP is not new really; it is nothing secret. There are formulas to capture that we deal with everyday - stabilized approaches, sink rates, that sort of thing," Clayton said.
Unlike some of the other airline programs, Southwest will not analyze data from all aircraft. A random sampling that will accurately detail trends across the airline will be taken from approximately 50 aircraft.
"This is a great way to understand the stresses the aircraft go through, the impact of ATC procedures, and the effect of poor runways," Clayton remarked.
"It is not an electronic check-ride. We are not looking for rogue pilots. We are simply trying to validate our training, our procedures, and to produce data that will help us go forward." FDAP will gather the hard data it takes to make changes to procedures at SWA and at the airports served by Southwest. Clayton pointed out that a bump at Houston Hobby where runways 22 and 12 Right intersect was changed with the help of hard data detailing the increased G-force impact it caused.
"If ATC is mishandling our crews and they are having to fly a slam dunk, we can capture this. By documenting it, we can influence them to change their procedures" Clayton said.
Lawson has worked hard to ensure that VASI benefits all pilots. "We want to eliminate that adversarial relationship and create a cooperative partnership. I believe this program has the potential to be a real asset to the Company," Lawson said.
"It is not threatening. It is not a hammer,” he added. “It is designed to be used as a tool to make this airline safer. We want to verify procedures and approaches and point out deficiencies and areas that need improvement."

If approved by the SWAPA membership, the program will be instituted for a preliminary term of 18 months. After that, the program will continue only if all three parties (SWAPA, SWA and the FAA) agree to continue. An "out" clause allows any one of the parties to terminate the program if anything goes astray, no questions asked.
"The beauty of this program," said Lawson, "is that it incorporates three different approaches administered by three different groups. Each will be viewing airline safety from a different perspective. Pilots can be assured that their point of view will be heard."
Clayton stressed the proactive nature of the program.
"Right now, we don't have the trend analysis tools we need. We only have anecdotal data. This program will help us capture the data that can prevent future mishaps. It gives us the ability to improve this airline," Clayton emphasized.
"Jane Garvey, FAA administrator, has voiced her interest in putting these programs into action. She hopes to enhance safety by cooperating with the airlines. This is an important step. In such a ripe political climate, we should act to put this program in place," Lawson suggested.
Soon we will find out if the political climate within the pilot group is right for such a plan.
"You don't know what you don't know," Clayton added. VASI, he suggests, is one way to help us find out.