NBAA: 18% of Bizjet Crews Don't Do Pre-takeoff Control Checks

NBAA is stressing the need for compliance with pre-takeoff flight-control checks in a new report that stemmed from the findings of the fatal 2014 Gulfstream GIV accident at Hanscom Field Airport in Bedford, Mass. Alarmingly, a study released yesterday by the association found that before-takeoff control check non-compliance among business aircraft operators is 17.66 percent. The U.S. NTSB found that the accident GIV crew did not perform a flight-control check before takeoff, leaving them unaware that the gust lock was engaged. The aircraft crashed on takeoff and all seven aboard died in the accident.

The NTSB recommended that NBAA work with industry on a study of the extent of non-compliance with pre-takeoff flight control checks. That report—Business Aviation Compliance with Manufacturer-Required Flight Control Checks Before Takeoff—analyzed 143,756 business aviation flights between Jan. 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2015. It found that about 15 percent of those flights took off with only a partial flight control check and 2 percent without a full, valid check (defined as the stop-to-stop deflection of all flight controls per the aircraft flight manuals).

“As perplexing as it is that a highly experienced crew could attempt a takeoff with the gust lock engaged, the data also reveals similar challenges across a variety of aircraft and operators,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “This report should further raise awareness within the business aviation community that complacency and lack of procedural discipline have no place in our profession.”

The NBAA report recommends operators establish flight-data monitoring programs. NBAA noted that only 1 percent of operators currently have such a program in place. The association also is urging operators to participate in safety-data collection programs such as Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing System (ASIAS).