Until recently, the aviation industry has known rather little about how human factors contribute to ground handling accidents involving aircraft and vehicles using airports. This paper reports some results of a joint initiative by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Ground Handling Council Ramp Safety Committee, and the Aerospace Psychology Research Group at Trinity College Dublin. The Research Group redesigned the IATA ramp accident reporting form, to include human factors that could help to cause accidents. Various ground handling agencies worldwide used the new form on a trial basis for one year, and supplied data on 1000 accidents. Factors contributing to accidents to aircraft and equipment included: (1) failure to follow standard operating procedures; (2) regulations not followed; (3) spatial misjudgement; (4) poor decision making; and (5) poor discipline. Appropriate safety training and promotion of a safety culture were investigated.
Abstract