About the workshop on flight data analysis (FDA)

     The workshop on flight data analysis (FDA) organised by the European Regional Expert Safety Team (IE-REST) and the IAC jointly with Airbus within the framework of the ICAO-IAC COSCAP-CIS Project was successfully completed in the Interstate Aviation Committee on September 18, 2014.  
     The workshop participants unanimously approved the following conclusions outlined during active discussion of reports and documents presented at the workshop: 
     
      1) States and operators should meet clear requirements (standards) developped by the ICAO and indicating that:
      a) flight-operating divisions establish the flight data analysis procedure (FDAP) as the part of safety management system (SMS);
      b) FDAP shouldn't be punitive and should contain adequate safeguards for the protection of information sources.

      2) There is a good potential for ensuring compliance with the ICAO requirements related to flight data analysis (FDA), namely:
      a) operators in the region have extensive practice of flight data collection and analysis as well as:
      b) there are technological solutions;
      c) ICAO esured strategic management;
      d) industry (aviation companies provide efficient support). 

      3) However there are obstacles preventing compliance with with the ICAO requirements. In practice:
      a) flight data analysis sometimes focuses more on pilots performance than flight safety system parameters;
      b) risks can increase (for example, overrun) if pilots "control FDA" instead of aircraft control (for example, avoid hard landing) espacially in case of inadequate environment;
      c) protection of data source is not guaranteed as required by the ICAO and
      d) these circumstances can emerge from different sources including the state legislation.

      4) In order to ensure evolutionary process towards the dull compliance with the ICAO requirements, operators, state authorities, manufacturers and internationsl/regional organisations should collaborate together and:
      a) suppport FDA evolution towards system-oriented program as SMS part not specifying penalties;
      b) help states and operators take concrete measures in order to implement FDAP as it is required by tbe ICAO and as it is specified by the ICAO Doc 10000;
      c) identify safety threats better and control them at the operator (SMS), state (SSP) and region level.

       5) In order to ensure further evolutionary process:
      a) it's necessary to organise additional FDA workshops in the region in order to ensure further exchange of best practices and best solutions implementation;
      b) participation of operators and state authorities is necessary;
      c) participation of regional flight data groups (IE-FDG) should be actively encouraged by operators and state authorities as well.