Consistency between Safety Assessments
IFA Comment: Providing consistency between safety assessments makes sense but it’s the rigor with which they are conducted that matters most. The harmonisation effort is to be applauded. There’s much to be gained in having a common definitions across the international community.
FAA – Certification Reform Efforts
The FAA has significantly enhanced its certification process and safety-oversight during the last two years. The agency is:
- Delegating less responsibility to manufacturers and increasing oversight when delegation is deemed appropriate.
- Conducting detailed reviews of how aircraft systems work and interact with one another.
- Ensuring that a variety of piloting skills are considered when determining training requirements.
- Expanding the use of independent groups of safety experts for certification projects.
Link to FAA Certification Reform Efforts web page for more details
FAA Draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to amend certain airworthiness regulations to standardize the criteria for conducting safety assessments for systems, including flight controls and powerplants, installed on transport category airplanes. With this action, the FAA seeks to reduce risk associated with airplane accidents and incidents that have occurred in service, and reduce risk associated with new technology in flight control systems. The intended effect of this proposed action is to improve aviation safety by making system safety assessment (SSA) certification requirements more comprehensive and consistent.
