Air safety reporting under scrutiny as crashes lie unresolved
Next month marks three years since a China Eastern jet plunged into a hillside killing 132 people, with relatives still waiting to learn what caused China's deadliest air disaster in three decades. It is one of dozens of accidents worldwide in which investigators have yet to issue a final report designed to help prevent new accidents, despite a target of one year. While recent deadly crashes in Kazakhstan, South Korea and the United States and the non-fatal flip of a crash-landed jet in Canada have thrust safety into the spotlight, the industry is worried that too many past accidents remain unresolved. According to airlines, almost half of 268 accidents involving fatalities or major damage between 2018 and the end of 2023 lacked a final report. "That's a really big concern," said Mark Searle, head of safety at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "The lessons that we learn from accident reports are absolutely critical to avoid future events." Aviation safety has improved markedly over decades based on open sharing of information, with investigations intended to draw lessons rather than assign blame. The "brace position" for emergency landings, for example, was refined over years thanks to such investigations. By pure chance, the least injured person in a fatal 1976 crash in New Jersey had his head between his knees due to air sickness. Technology to avoid collisions, the importance of not inflating life jackets inside planes and improved seat design are all lessons learned from past crashes. Coordinated by the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), global guidelines call for an initial report in 30 days and a final one ideally within a year. Failing that, investigators should issue statements on each anniversary. But in a recent paper, IATA and six other aviation bodies raised the alarm over delayed or non-existent final reports. "I think a number are being held up at the political government level because they are narratives that perhaps they are not too keen to hit the public eye," Searle said.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2025-02-28/sky/air-safety-reporting-under-scrutiny-as-crashes-lie-unresolved
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/logo.png
Air safety reporting under scrutiny as crashes lie unresolved
Next month marks three years since a China Eastern jet plunged into a hillside killing 132 people, with relatives still waiting to learn what caused China's deadliest air disaster in three decades. It is one of dozens of accidents worldwide in which investigators have yet to issue a final report designed to help prevent new accidents, despite a target of one year. While recent deadly crashes in Kazakhstan, South Korea and the United States and the non-fatal flip of a crash-landed jet in Canada have thrust safety into the spotlight, the industry is worried that too many past accidents remain unresolved. According to airlines, almost half of 268 accidents involving fatalities or major damage between 2018 and the end of 2023 lacked a final report. "That's a really big concern," said Mark Searle, head of safety at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "The lessons that we learn from accident reports are absolutely critical to avoid future events." Aviation safety has improved markedly over decades based on open sharing of information, with investigations intended to draw lessons rather than assign blame. The "brace position" for emergency landings, for example, was refined over years thanks to such investigations. By pure chance, the least injured person in a fatal 1976 crash in New Jersey had his head between his knees due to air sickness. Technology to avoid collisions, the importance of not inflating life jackets inside planes and improved seat design are all lessons learned from past crashes. Coordinated by the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), global guidelines call for an initial report in 30 days and a final one ideally within a year. Failing that, investigators should issue statements on each anniversary. But in a recent paper, IATA and six other aviation bodies raised the alarm over delayed or non-existent final reports. "I think a number are being held up at the political government level because they are narratives that perhaps they are not too keen to hit the public eye," Searle said.<br/>
