Topic 20 flight safety issues

Many activities that we do can be dangerous, and some are much more dangerous than others. Did you know, for example, that the risk of death through riding a bicycle was 1 in 1,000? People usually think that travelling by plane is the most dangerous, but the risk of dying in an air accident is only 1 in 25,000. Driving a car is much more dangerous. The risk of dying in a car crash is 1 in 11,000! The two most dangerous things that we do in our daily lives are riding a motorcycle and smoking. The risk of death from a motorcycle accident is 1 in 500, but smoking is the worst. The risk of dying from lung cancer is 1 in 200.

Though travelling by plane is not as dangerous as riding a motorcycle or smoking, one of the main objectives of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is to promote safety of flight in international air navigation. ICAO takes efforts on development the recommendations based on the analysis of aircraft crashes and accidents in the international civil aviation.

According to world statistics and as ICAO data report 80% of all accidents occur during take-off and landing procedures. The accidents distribution is as following: taxiing – 3.3%; take-off run – 17.6%; take-off – 11.1%; climbing – 6.5%; cruising flight – 5.2%; descending – 3.3%; approach – 11.8%; landing – 16.3%; landing roll – 24.8%.

Take-off and landing are the most dangerous phases of the flight because of time or altitude shortage to understand and analyze the problems connected with mechanical, meteorological or human factors.

The greatest air accident was when two 747s collided on the runway at Tenerife (the Canary Islands) on March 27 1977. The accidents resulted in the death of all 234 passengers and 14 crew aboard KLM Flight 4805 and 317 passengers and 9 crew aboard PAN AM Flight 1736. 61 passengers and 9 crew from the PAN AM aircraft survived the collision.

The most impressive accident was in 2004. Two Russian civil aircraft were destroyed almost simultaneously on the evening of 24 August by explosions triggered by suicide bombers, resulting in the deaths of 90 people, including crew members. One of the aircraft, a Siberia Airlines Tupolev Tu-154B with 38 passengers on board, was en route to a Black Sea resort when the explosion occurred. The other – a Tupolev Tu-134 operated by Volga Aviaexpress – was destroyed while flying to Volgograd, resulting in 36 passengers fatalities. Both aircraft departed Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.

Topic 21 security in civil aviation

The dates of 11 September 2001 and 11 March 2004 may be considered as benchmarks in the realm of transport security. Before 11 March 2004, studies showed that most people had resumed normal lives following the tragic events of 11 September 2001. Though it s too early to determine the public's long-term reaction to Madrid train bombings of 11 March 2004, both of these events reinforce the need for a renewed international effort in the flight against terrorism.

Terrorists tend either to target transport or use it as a means to their end. Air transport, in particular, gives terrorists the opportunity to maximize their impact. In essence, their objective is to damage or destroy specific targets and create fear in travellers, further damaging economic and democratic foundations.

Security in any one country is related to security systems in other parts of the world. Guarding tens of thousands of miles of land borders and seacoasts is virtually impossible, according to various aspects. We live in a world of independent security, where the investment made by one country depends directly on the investment made by others.

One important aspect of international and domestic collaboration is risk identification and assessment. Terrorists are actively inventing new threats and new ways to impose terror.

Annex 17 to the 'Convention on International Civil Aviation', contains standards and recommended practices for aviation security. In all, 18 annexes to the Chicago Convention provide provisions for the safe, orderly and efficient development of international civil aviation.

Audits conducted under ICAO's Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) reveal, however, that not all States are fully implementing the standards contained in ICAO Annex 17. The establishment of a comprehensive security oversight system is essential if a State is to ensure the effective implementation of its national aviation security requirements and the standards and recommended practices (SARPs) contained in Annex 17. This is a fundamental responsibility of all ICAO member States, and one which is critical for achieving the common goal of globally secure aviation network.