There are approximately 27,000 ramp accidents and incidents worldwide each year. While the injury rate is approximately 9 per 1,000 descents and we care deeply about the cost of our staff, the price we pay for these mishaps goes well beyond the physical toll.
This is not only due to aircraft damage, but also the time and labor expended to repair an airframe and to absorb the cost of downtime. This can be significant, especially in a world where airworthiness equals profit.
The sad part is that most of these incidents are due to human error. There is not a single documented case of an aircraft jumping out to attack a hangar door, nor of ground equipment accidentally slamming into an airframe without unfortunate support.
Most of the time it is due to many factors, with time pressure being at the top of the list and fatigue being a close second. While every aircraft movement is unique, the circumstances that led to incidents are rare.
search for solutions
It’s easy to blame incidents on negligence or apathy. Finding solutions and considering factors that contribute to them is much more difficult.
There are numerous programs and training measures to reduce errors and mishaps. However, with each it comes down to the will of the individual to focus solely on the mission at hand and approach each movement or action methodically and logically. We know how to perform operations correctly, but knowing why you might be doing it wrong is another question entirely. We must always ask ourselves: “What is different about this action?”
Recognizing your own personal distractions and biases, and often the pulse of the aviation culture in your particular organization, can be key. Business aviation in general is a timed operation with pressures (often self-inflicted) to take off as planned, arrive on time, overcome weather delays, and keep passengers happy. This creates pressure to act faster, sometimes trading security for what appears to be efficiency at the time.
There’s an old saying that…