Aviation Safety:
Better Data and Targeted FAA Efforts Needed to Identify and Address Safety Issues of Small Air Cargo Carriers
GAO-09-614, Jun 24, 2009
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The air cargo industry contributed over $37 billion to the U.S. economy in 2008 and provides government, businesses, and individuals with quick delivery of goods. Although part of an aviation system with an extraordinary safety record, there have been over 400 air cargo accidents and over 900 incidents since 1997, raising concerns about cargo safety. GAO's congressionally requested study addresses (1) recent trends in air cargo safety, (2) factors that have contributed to air cargo accidents, (3) federal government and industry efforts to improve air cargo safety and experts' views on the effectiveness of these efforts, and (4) experts' views on further improving air cargo safety. To perform the study, GAO analyzed agency data, surveyed a panel of experts, reviewed industry and government documents, and interviewed industry and government officials. GAO also conducted site visits to Alaska, Ohio, and Texas.
From 1997 through 2008, 443 accidents involving cargo-only carriers occurred, including 93 fatal accidents. Total accidents declined 63 percent from a high of 62 in 1997 to 23 in 2008. Small cargo carriers were involved in the vast majority of the accidents--79 percent of all accidents and 96 percent of fatal accidents. Although accident rates for large cargo carriers fluctuated during this period, they were comparable to accident rates for large passenger carriers in 2007. GAO could not calculate accident rates based on operations or miles traveled for small carriers because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not collect the necessary data. Although several factors contributed to these air cargo accidents, our review of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) data found that pilot performance was identified as a probable cause for about 80 percent of fatal and about 53 percent of non-fatal cargo accidents. Furthermore, GAO's analysis of NTSB reports for the 93 fatal accidents, using an FAA flight-risk checklist, identified three or more risk factors in 63 of the accidents. Risk factors included low pilot experience, winter weather, and nighttime operations. Alaska's challenging operating conditions and remotely located populations who rely on air cargo are also a contributing factor. Many federal efforts to improve air cargo safety focus on large carriers. Air cargo experts that GAO surveyed ranked FAA's voluntary disclosure programs--in which participating carriers voluntarily disclose safety events to FAA--as the most effective effort to improve air cargo, but two of the three main voluntary disclosure programs are used typically by large carriers. Several industry initiatives, however, focus on carriers with smaller aircraft, such as the Medallion Foundation, which has improved small aircraft safety in Alaska through training and safety audits. The two actions experts cited most often to further improve air cargo safety were installing better technology on cargo aircraft to provide additional tools to pilots and collecting data to track small cargo carrier operations. Using flight risk checklists can also help pilots assess the accumulated risk factors associated with some cargo flights.
Status Legend:
- Review Pending
- Open
- Closed - implemented
- Closed - not implemented
Recommendations for Executive Action
Recommendation: To help FAA improve the data on and the safety of air cargo operations, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FAA Administrator to evaluate the likelihood that cargo incidents could be precursors to accidents and, if FAA determines they are, create a process for capturing incidents that would allow in-depth analysis of incidents to identify accident precursors related to specific carriers, locations, operations, and equipment.
Agency Affected: Department of Transportation
Status: Open
Comments: FAA uses incident data to analyze emerging risks through the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) process. CAST has developed 6 safety enhancements to reduce the risk of air cargo operations--two are complete and the remaining four are scheduled to be completed after 2010. FAA plans to combine the CAST analyses with the analytical capabilities of its Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention (AVP)and the oversight functions of the flight Standards Service to address the recommendation.
Recommendation: To help FAA improve the data on and the safety of air cargo operations, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FAA Administrator to promote the increased use of safety programs by small (feeder and ad hoc) cargo carriers that use the principles underpinning SMS and voluntary self-disclosure programs.
Agency Affected: Department of Transportation
Status: Open
Comments: FAA provided guidance to all carriers regarding safety management systems (SMS) and voluntary safety programs. FAA is developing 4 guidance documents for small operators. Each document will focus on a pillar of the FAA SMS program. This guidance will educate operators on how to develop the most appropriate voluntary safety program for a small cargo operator under SMS. FAA has also developed a PowerPoint presentation entitled "Safety Management and Voluntary Systems for Small Operators" and shared it with SMS Focus Group participants in Dallas in May 2010 and with participants at the Shared Vision of Safety Conference in San Diego in June 2010.
Recommendation: To help FAA improve the data on and the safety of air cargo operations, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FAA Administrator to gather comprehensive and accurate data on all part 135 cargo operations to gain a better understanding of air cargo accident rates and better target safety initiatives. This can be done by separating out cargo activity in FAA's annual survey of aircraft owners or by requiring all part 135 cargo carriers to report operational data as part 121 carriers currently do.
Agency Affected: Department of Transportation
Status: Open
Comments: FAA working to implement this recommendation. FAA did not include a separate question for gathering cargo carrier activity data in the March 2010 GA survey because of the difficulty of including "mixed-use" cargo operators. FAA plans to determine how to create a separate category in the survey for all part 135 cargo operators. In the meantime, FAA plans to provide data on "cargo-only" carriers to its survey contractor so that their activity data can be identified.
Recommendation: To help FAA improve the data on and the safety of air cargo operations, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FAA Administrator to create incentives for cargo carriers to use flight risk assessment checklists in their daily operations, including tailoring a sample flight risk assessment checklist for part 135 cargo carriers.
Agency Affected: Department of Transportation
Status: Open
Comments: In addition to producing risk management tools for small air cargo operators with the help of the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association, FAA now plans to require safety management systems (SMS) for all part 135 operators. FAA intends to begin work on a part 135 SMS rule once the part 121 final SMS rule is published. FAA will also provide inspector guidance and advisory circular documentation with the SMS rule. FAA also issued Notice 8900.132 on August 12, 2010 requiring all part 135 inspectors inspectors to use the Surveillance Priority Index (SPI) along with the Safety Performance Analysis System (SPAS) to identify high-risk operators and modify their work programs for FY 2011 accordingly. FAA's enhanced version of the SPI is still in development and may be available for use in the planning process for FY 2012.