During the investigation into the Gulfstream GIV accident at Bedford, Massachusetts, in May 2014, the NTSB discovered the accident crew failed to perform a pre-takeoff flight control check. Investigators also learned that crews of the accident aircraft had failed to perform a similar standard pre-takeoff control check prior to the previous 175 takeoffs. Now, a new National Business Aviation Association survey has found the omission is common at other flight departments as well.
NBAA Reports on Bizav Flight Crew Non-Compliance
Key Takeaways:
- A 2014 Gulfstream GIV accident, caused by the flight crew failing to perform a pre-takeoff flight control check, led the NTSB to recommend an industry-wide investigation into compliance.
- An NBAA survey, analyzing de-identified Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) data from 144,000 flights, found that nearly 18% of business aviation takeoffs between 2013 and 2015 failed to perform a complete pre-takeoff flight control check.
- Despite the widespread non-compliance, the underlying reasons ("why") for this omission remain unknown, largely due to the anonymity of FOQA data which, while crucial for participation, limits deeper causal analysis.
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