Mull of Kintyre Review

On the 2nd June 1994 an RAF Chinook helicopter (ZD576) crashed on the Mull of Kintyre killing all crew and passengers. This included the two pilots, two RAF loadmasters and 25 passengers, who were key military intelligence personnel involved in Northern Ireland security. The ZD576, a Mark 2 twin engine Chinook Helicopter, was flying from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George, Inverness, Scotland.

ARMS Methodology for Risk Assessment

ARMS is a Methodology for Operational Risk Assessment applicable to Aviation Organisations and developed by the ARMS (Aviation Risk Management Solutions) Working Group between 2007-2010.

The methodology focuses on integrating Safety Performance Monitoring with Operational Risk Assessment to ensure that events, occurrences, investigations and risk are managed effectively.

Article – The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

This article was first published in Safety Systems (the UK Safety-Critical Systems Club Newsletter), Vol. 18, No. 2, January 2009.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

A personal perspective from the ATM industry by Rob Weaver

Eurocontrol Safety Assessment Methodology

The Eurocontrol Safety Assessment Methodology defines the means for providing assurance that an Air Navigation System is safe for operational use. The guidance material available under the section Library has been developed by the Safety Assessment Methodology Task Force. The methodology describes a generic process for the safety assessment of Air Navigation Systems.

The Nimrod Review

Nimrod XV230 was lost on 2 September 2006, whilst on a mission over Helmand Province in Southern Afghanistan, in support of NATO and Afghan ground forces.  XV230 suffered a catastrophic mid-air fire, leading to the total loss of the aircraft and the death of all 14 Service personnel on board.

Definition: Risk

Risk – Combination of the likelihood of harm and the severity of that harm.

Definition: Safety Management System

Safety Management System – The organisational structure, processes, procedures and methodologies that enable the direction and control of the activities necessary to meet safety requirements and safety policy objectives.

Definition: Safety Case

Safety Case – A structured argument, supported by a body of evidence that provides a compelling, comprehensible and valid case that a system is safe for a given application in a given operating environment.

Definition: Hazard

Hazard – A physical situation or state of a system, often following from some initiating event, that may lead to an accident.

Definition: Accident

Accident – An unintended event, or sequence of events, that causes harm.