Don’t Mock Safety in Recreation & Leisure

Insurance plays an important role in trying to get businesses, employees, drivers, pilots and passengers to pay attention to safety rules and procedures.

Everybody needs a little fun in their lives – even insurance agents. But sometimes leisurely activities come with risks. While no one wants to pull the fun out of leisure, ignoring crucial safety warnings can have real consequences.

Perhaps one illustration is the deadly midair collision involving a private plane and a sightseeing helicopter over New York’s Hudson River on Aug. 8. The collision occurred less than a month after a federal watchdog warned about the lax safety oversight of the for-hire flight business.

A report by the Transportation Department’s inspector general sharply criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for conducting far fewer safety inspections of on-demand operators than commercial airlines, noting the FAA doesn’t effectively target the inspections it does make to the highest-risk operations. On-demand operators include aerial sightseeing tours, and medical, cargo and unscheduled passenger flights of fewer than 30 people. The type of aircraft they use range from small, two-seat, single-engine planes to helicopters to turboprops and jets with 10 or more seats.

The report also criticized the FAA for failing to implement 16 National Transportation Safety Board recommendations aimed at improving the safety of on-demand flight operations. Many of the regulations that apply to on-demand operators haven’t been updated since 1978.

On-demand operators often face more safety risks because their flights tend to be shorter with more frequent takeoffs and landings, which are the most dangerous part of flight. These operations also typically involve small airports without air traffic control towers and emergency equipment. In addition, on-demand operations are also allowed under FAA regulations to hire less experienced pilots than commercial airlines and their planes don’t have to have the same safety equipment.

Experience and safety training speaks for itself. Just look at the “Miracle on the Hudson” crash when commercial airline pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, a captain at US Airways, successfully landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson River on Jan. 15, saving all 150 people on board.

In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Aviation, Transportation and Infrastructure, Sullenberger said: “We must not let the economic and financial pressures detract from a focus on constantly improving our safety measures and engaging in ongoing and comprehensive training. In aviation, the bottom line is that the single most important piece of safety equipment is an experienced, well-trained pilot …”

Insurance plays an important role in trying to get businesses, employees, drivers, pilots and passengers to pay attention to safety rules and procedures. Keep safety at the forefront of your discussions at work and at play.

Topics Aviation