Theoretical approach to airplane safety

Theoretical approach to airplane safety have assignment to determine the way of increasing quality and reliability of technical aspects of airplane. Airplane can always be improved by adding new and latest technology available on the market and changing its current modification status. The important factor in improving airplane safety is also safety culture. Improvement in organization operating the airplane to which we refer as airline or operator.

What is airplane safety?

There is hardly similar dynamical transport system that is so complex as air transport today and airplane safety as a part of it.  Main elements of that system which have aspect on airplane safety are;  airplanes, traffic infrastructure (airports and air traffic control), people or cargo as object that is being transported. Airplane safety is conditional and basic state of the system involved in transport process and safety of airplane includes main elements as mentioned above.

Difference between security and airplane safety

In order to understand airplane safety the one must understand difference between airplane safety and security of airplane. The security is harder phase or therm which is already included in the term airplane safety. Protection of airplane safety or protection of airplane operations is one of the measures of security and it is physical concept of technological process.

Accidents of airplanes are rarely caused by only one reason; it is common that accidents are caused with combination of common matters. Prevention is focused on determination and clearly identification of those common maters and prevention of usual chain reaction of causes which happens to induce accidents.

Generally factors that causes accidents and endangers airplane safety can be categorized in three groups: human, airplane, environment.

Analysis of airplane accidents are founded on data provided by International Civil Aviation Organization – ICAO. Accident causes are categorized in two main categories:

• Accidents with deadly consequences caused by illegal actions endangering airplane safety (kidnapping of airplane, terrorism etc.)
• Accidents caused by other factors (technical failure, human factors etc.)

Around 70% of accidents happened at final phases of airplane operations which are only around 6% of total time of airplane operation (take off, climbing, approach, descent, touch down etc.) The least number of aircraft accidents are related to boarding of passengers on airplane and taxing of aircraft on runway.

The most common reasons for accidents are as follows:

• Controlled flight into terrain
• Loss of control related to airplane
• Loss of control related to crew
• Construction of airplane
• Collision in air
• Ice and snow
• Loss of fuel
• Missed runway
• Hijacking of airplane

There is lot of airplane safety improvement and prevention of accidents  done based on above mentioned common reasons.

• Upgrade of airport instruments for final approach of airplane.
• Upgrade and modifications of Ground Proximity Warning Systems – GPWS.
• Improvement of pilots ingraining on simulator.
• Upgrade of automatic flight controls.
• Modeling of national safety programs based on ICAO annex 17.

The most important factor in airplane safety is organizational structure of participants, control of organization and their business through regulatory  body (CAA).