Premium on Safety - Issue 45, 2022 - 6

BEST PRACTICES
Incremental improvement in automobile restraint systems
(airbags and crushable structures) followed. The fatality rate in
automobiles went from 5.06 per million miles to a current rate of
1.33. This is a four-fold decrease in 30 years. From 1975 through
2017, seat belts in automobiles have saved an estimated 374,276
lives. If you buckle up in the front seat of a passenger car, you can
reduce your risk of fatal injury by 45 percent (Kahane, 2015) and
reduce " moderate to critical injury " by 50 percent.
Airplane safety restraints and improvements have not kept pace
with automobiles despite the higher speeds in aviation and an
arguably more hazardous environment. Seat belts in airplanes
conform to the same standards set forth by the Society of
Automotive Engineers, Inc. (SAE) but are only federally mandated
for takeoff and landing. In aviation, convenience and comfort
are often valued more highly than safety. The increasingly posh
interiors of many corporate aircraft are designed to make it hard
to even believe you are flying. But it is important to remember
that the crash forces experienced by occupants are an exponential
(square root) force, not linear. Twice the speed in flight delivers
four times the crash force in a sudden stoppage.
So with the limited resources available in aviation, typically lap
and shoulder belts, it is incumbent upon all pilots and crews to
assure respect for the risks we face and insist on proper restraint
usage. This requires comprehensive briefings, careful maintenance
of the web belts, and proper securing of any onboard cargo. No
one wants to be a buzzkill about having fun during travel, but an
unexpected wake turbulence encounter in an aircraft could put
everyone in the back into the hospital if they are unrestrained. The
FAA has reported that inflight turbulence is the leading cause of
nonfatal injuries on commercial airlines.
In FAR Part 121 (airline) and FAR Part 135 (charter) operations, regular
crew training is FAA-mandated on the proper briefing of passengers
in the proper use of their seats, seatbelts, and emergency exits.
This is part of every operating manual and annual checkride. At the
FAR Part 91 level, passenger briefings can unfortunately get more
perfunctory, despite the same level of risk. The latest safety trend on
all aircraft is " encouraging " the use of seatbelts whenever seated, a
small inconvenience considering the huge safety benefit.
The FAA is very specific on the requirements for proper safety
equipment, training and maintenance. Cabins require fireproof
materials and specifically designed seat belts. But if they are
improperly worn or ignored, they are of no use to the occupants.
A good safety program of training and recurrency goes a long
way to ensuring compliance from the crew and passengers.
In the case of a crash, survivability is
the focus.
From my perspective flying jets in the flight levels, building
awareness among the passengers is the key to safe transportation
of high-value passengers and cargo. Despite opulent interiors and
increasingly distracting entertainment, we are still in a pressurized
tube high above the earth transiting sometimes uncertain weather
patterns at very high speeds. As much as dispatch and the
pilots try to assure a smooth ride, airplanes bounce and jolt and
occasionally encounter unforecast turbulence. The accompanying
pictures are from the back of our jet after encountering wake
turbulence headed into Chicago (still high up, descending out of
the flight levels). Fortunately, this was a " dead-head leg " -with
pilots strapped into 5-point harnesses-or the passengers in the
back could have easily been severely injured.
6

https://www.bts.gov/content/motor-vehicle-safety-data https://www.bts.gov/content/motor-vehicle-safety-data https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts https://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgTSO.nsf/0/3c3b035d018e498486256dac0061e9a2/$FILE/C114.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvEafYHoeFc

Premium on Safety - Issue 45, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Premium on Safety - Issue 45, 2022