Line Operations Safety Audit

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Line Operations Safety Audit ( LOSA for short ) is a tried and tested analysis method in aviation which, by collecting safety-relevant data during normal operations, represents a suitable measuring instrument for the airlines to optimize safety in air traffic.

Creation of LOSA

In the 1980s, several investigations showed that pilot errors and mistakes were a major cause of aircraft incidents. In order to increase flight safety, the first tests with a LOSA-like procedure were carried out at Continental Airlines in the USA. The results were presented to the public for the first time in 1999 together with the complete LOSA concept with the participation of RL Helmreich and JR Klinect and were immediately supported by the ICAO .

LOSA concept

The LOSA concept is based on the anonymous collection of data made by observers who sit behind the pilots on the jump seat. The data collected concern the entire flight, the work of the pilots, their management of events in the aircraft and also external influences. By collecting this data and comparing it with other fleets, there is a significant gain in information about weaknesses, stresses and successful handling of daily flight operations.

The procedure is confidential and the pilots must agree to the investigation. The data is only made available after evaluation by an institute commissioned by the respective airline, so that the airline cannot identify who has flown. Thus, any misconduct by the pilots has no consequences for them, they are not denounced. The process is comprehensive and objective as the reports are not written from the pilot's point of view but from the perspective of outsiders. LOSA brings the neutral, third perspective in addition to the safety tools FDM (" aircraft perspective ") and ADREP (" pilot perspective "), which are already established in most airlines .

The data collected with LOSA are evaluated on the original model at the University of Texas in the UTHFRP (University of Texas Human Factors Research Project). This approach is very costly. Therefore, the safety tool has not yet been implemented by all airlines.

literature

  • Klinect, JR - Line Operations Safety Audit: A Cockpit Observation Methodology for Monitoring Commercial Airline Safety Performance . Diss. University of Texas at Austin, 2005
  • Klinect, JR; Murray, P .; Merritt, A .; Helmreich, R .: Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) - Definition and operating characteristics . In: Proceedings of the Twelfth International Symposium on Aviation Psychology, Dayton, OH: The Ohio State University, 2003, pp. 663-668
  • Helmreich, RL, Klinect, JR, Wilhelm, JA - System safety and threat and error management: The line operations safety audit (LOSA) . In Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Aviation Psychology, Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University, 2001
  • ICAO (2002). Doc 9803. AN / 761 - Line operations Safety Audit (LOSA)
  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (2006). Advisory Circular. AC No: 120-90 - Line Operation Safety Audits , initiated by: AFS-230. Washington DC: US ​​Department of Transportation