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6 Why are pilots so focussed on safety? because: The pilots are always the first at an accident scene! 6

7 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 3922/91 Annex III, Subpart B 7

8 In addition to being the final safety authority of a flight, in the context of operations in or near Volcanic Clouds, the pilots have also a function as information providers. A Special AIR REPORT is frequently the first and only information about volcanic activity; and the Volcanic Activity Report specifiec by ICAO is an important source of information for the organisations that generate volcanic cloud warnings. ICAO Doc4444: Air-reports are critically important in assessing the hazards which volcanic ash clouds present to aircraft operations. It is deplorable that the reporting of volcanic activity by pilots is not as complete as desired. The fact that EASA provides a volcanic ash report form that differns from the ICAO form does not help getting the information to the right recipients. Reporting must be made easier first of all by streamlined and clear provision on what has to be reported and when; and by the provision of electronic forms that can be filled in offline and have the addresses 8

9 of the recipients included De-identification of the reports by the system must be guaranteed to foster participation. 8

10 Themanagement of aviation service providers is faced with a dilemma. They need to provide enough resources both to the production as well as to the protection to achieve a balanced outcome bertween economically viable operations and the required level of safety. 9

11 This picture is taken from the ICAO Safety Management Manual (Doc 8959). It shows that people are at the center of safety efforts and one of the most efficient means. We knowthat humans commit errors and violations every now and then (these are the holes in the Swiss Cheese). So it is of paramount importance to have sufficient defences (regulations = SOPs, training, technology) in place to avoid accidents. Five of these six layers of safety can and must be influenced by regulation The human nature however unfortunately CANNOT be changed. The system must be designed to support the strongholds of the people in all areas of responsibility from management to frontline operators AND to provide resilience for the cases where the weaknesses of the humans could lead to a failure of the safety chain! 10

12 The economic pressure existing in a competitivemarket, such as aviation, forces managments to focus on the financial aspects of their operation. Therefore we need strong safety regulations and strict oversight to protect the public from failures of safety management 11

13 Volcanic clouds clearly create a hazard for flight operations. 12

14 ICAO has set up the International Airways Volcano Watch. This diagram describes the interaction of the various stakeholders involved. 13

15 If we consider the actions and interactions in a dynamic eruption, it will look much more like this. And this is still a simplified diagram. The following slides have been taken from a presentation that I have prepared for the International Volcanic Ash Task Force. They show in simplified form the cycle of a volcanic event and the involvement of different stakeholders. 14

16 While there is no threat from volcanic activity, it is essential that everybody is prepared to deal with a sudden change in conditions. Contingency Plans must be in place and be tested regularily to ensure that they work in times where they are needed. The Standard Operating Procedures of the relevant stakeholders need to be in place, manuals and checklists available and personnel trained. 15

17 Pre-eruption IAVW, Volcano Observatories(using ground and space based detection equipment) and aircraft are monitoring and may be observing some activity. Pre-eruption activity is undetectable fromaircraft! Therefore requirements for pilots to report pre-eruption activity should be eliminated from ICAO provisions.... but the Volcano Observatory might already start the alerting process and precautionary or preparatory processes would start! At this stage, ATC and Flight Ops would only react, if an eruption is forecasted to be imminent with signigicant emission of ash into the atmosphere likely (= when a Red Alert is warranted) 16

18 With an eruption started, but not yet affecting the airspace, the alertingprocesses are started. pilot > ACC > MWO > VAAC Volcano Observatory > ACC > MWO > VAAC 17

19 With an eruption,where lava flow or a pyroclastic flow affects an airport, the relevant airport Contingency Plan is activated. A NOTAM will inform the aviation community about the conditions to be expected at the airport. Volcanic Ash Contingency Plans need to consider the consequences of airports becoming unavailable (including the effects on passengers). 18

20 When ash is emitted into the atmosphere, thingsbecome serious for aircraft en-route. Pilots will try to keep clear and need assistance from ATC. ATC will alert succeeding aircraft and the MWO! Priority for ATC is on assisting aircraft to achieve a safe operation. As this all means an increased workload, there is a need for immediate countermeasures to ensure continued functioning of the Air Traffic Services. The VAAC will collect all available information and start to compute Volcanic Ash Advisories. Aircraft enroute to the affected airspace will apply SOPs to avoid hazards. Operators will exercise their operational control over flights that can still plan alternatives. Preparations for Flight Operations in and near volcanic ash will commence at all stakeholders: information collection information processing information distribution production and distribution of SIGMETs, NOTAMs (ASHTAMs), VAAs,... Safety Risk Assessment processess will have to be started (if not already in progress)... 19

21 The game changes, once reliable and verified information becomes available in form of VAAs and VA concentration charts or other detailed, preferably graphic information. Flight operations will be planned based on existing Contingency Procedures and Safety Risk Assessments for the actual/forecasted situation. ATC will adapt their operations according to the changed demand and ATCFM will support ACCs to maintain a safe and orderly traffic flow. Within this operational (contingency) phase there is a continuous loop of information collection > processing > distribution and adaption (if necessary) and application of the contingency procedures. 20

22 ... until it can finally be confirmed that the situation is back to normal again (GREEN alert). 21

23 As the provision of pertinent information to all players involved is key to success, a System Wide Information Management (SWIM) is to be the core of any Contingency Plan. To adress the needs of all stakeholders adequately, a well-defined CollaborativeDecision Making process must be in place. (Only a few selected stakeholders are shown on this slide as examples. In reality there are many more.) Smooth operations in difficult situations require a well prepared (contingency) plan. The information channels need to be available and open. The stakeholders will know the needs of each other and will have agreed on the processes and actions on a strategic level. This enables to focus all available resources on the current situation. ICAO s International Volcanic Ash Task Force is working to provideimproved guidance on such a strategic level. 22

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27 The material that is potentiallly dangerous to aviation has a melting temperature of approximately 1250 C. 26

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35 with respect to the operation of aircraft, this is what could happen Plots will have to recognise the early signs of a VA encounter SO2 smell St Elmo s fire glow at windshields or engine inlets etc and react quickly to avoid a more serious encounter with the cvolcanic cloud 34

36 When flight operation in or near volcanic clouds are contemplated, it isimportant to have the potential risk under control by a proper Safety Risk Assessment. But also the potential risk for the health of an aircraft s occupants needs to be considered! 35

37 If we compare the situation of volcanic ash with flight operation in icing condition, we find large differences. 36

38 According to ICAO Annex 6, all international commercial air transport operators should already have a Safety Management System in place. Output of SRA: mitigation measures SOPs Contingency Plans specific actions 37

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40 VolcanicAsh guidanceforaircrewisclutteredthroughoutvariousdocumentsfrom1.) ICAO, 2.) the manufacturers and 3.) the operators. Moving all information available to onechapterofthemanual on Volcanicash wouldmakeitmoreaccessibletopilotsand would this way improve general knowledge about this subject among pilots. 39

41 VolcanicAsh guidanceforaircrewisclutteredthroughoutvariousdocumentsfrom1.) ICAO, 2.) the manufacturers and 3.) the operators. Moving all information available to onechapterofthemanual on Volcanicash wouldmakeitmoreaccessibletopilotsand would this way improve general knowledge about this subject among pilots. Recommendation: Centralizing currently cluttered information into one updated document would improve ready knowledge on VA operations among aircrew. 40

42 ICAO SARPs provide global harmonization butare not enforceable, although the ICAO Member States have agreed by signing the Chicago Convention to implement them. Guidance Material no matter on what level will never provide an Acceptable Level of Safety per se. It needs to be supported by mandatory regulations. 41

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