UK regulators are poised to act on research findings that highlight the markedly worse fatal accident rate of business jet operators compared with commercial airlines.
The 2009 edition of the UK Civil Aviation Authority's annual safety plan is due out in the next few weeks and will address recommendations from the researchers that have not already been tackled - primarily relating to training.
The study confirms earlier evidence that business jets worldwide were generating a "disproportionate" number of fatal accidents.
Published as CAA Paper 2009/03, the research shows that for the eight-year period 2000-2007, civil business jets had a fatal accident rate per hours flown nearly 10 times higher than large Western-built jets - and more than twice as high as large Western-built turboprops.
The overall data, however, disguises the even worse record of air taxi operations by business jets, and the strong record of corporate flight departments.
Additional data from the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) covering 2003-7 puts the fatal accident rate for jet air taxi operations at 3.49 per million flight hours - 23 times worse than large Western jets. But corporate jets suffered a rate of only 0.24. Owner-operated business jets, at 1.28 fatal accidents per million hours, were more than eight times worse than large jets.
Other notable findings are that ferrying and positioning flights contributed one-third of all business jet fatal accidents, and that Learjet variants accounted for 31% of the accidents despite contributing an estimated 15% of hours flown. Earlier Learjet models are widely considered to be challenging types to operate.
The study team recommends the promotion of simulator use for recurrent training and an exploration of low-cost options. Student performance data should be aggregated and examined to identify areas for improved training methods.
It also thinks techniques now being tested for automation training in large aircraft should be reviewed for possible application in business jets. And it urges that major training organisations be informed of pilot feedback requesting better "whole task" training - covering their entire job role outside aircraft handling alone - and better pre-course study materials.
The CAA says some of those points were included in the 2008 safety plan, some are being considered for the 2009 plan, and it is working with a training organisation on the initiation of a postgraduate research project on improved training that will also be in the 2009 plan.
Other recommendations, it says, have already been addressed through the 2008 plan or via the CAA-led Business Aviation Safety Partnership.
Those included better information for pilots regarding the CAA/European Aviation Safety Agency/Joint Aviation Authorities regulatory situation; improved CAA-business aviation communications; fatigue evaluation software; web-based training materials; and education of air traffic controllers on business jet operations.
Source: Flight International
