Asiana Airline's High Rate of Go Arounds at SFO

It is already being done, more accuracy I would even say, than the Navy does it with FOQA data. Every takeoff/flight/landing with thousands of parameters at some places.

If I'm not mistaken, FOQA data provided to the FAA does not identify airline or pilot. So, if an airline had problems that they weren't addressing, how does FOQA data help?

So, the difference between the Navy and the airlines is about accountability.
 
They monitor trends with FOQA data and correct/changes procedure based on those trends. Also, if there is a real 'WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED' moment, the pilots can get a call from the FOQA gate keeper.
 
One study shows that 96% of unstablized approaches do NOT end with a go-around. I know this is true at most US carriers. One could say that the non-foreign pilots are not going around enough, and that the Asiana crews are going around as a result of an unstable approach (or one of a million other factors.) Asians are pretty logical thinkers. If while on approach their criteria are not met they'll go around. "It's only logical." So ya'll can speculate on why they do go arounds so frequently, that's fine. I'm going to sit back and wait for the NTSB report and ask why they did not attempt a go around sooner on this particular approach.

What you're doing here is speculating on why they go around.


All I've done is try to make the point that investigating go-around numbers could be productive.


It seems we've got the roles a bit backwards. Come to think of it, I think I actually agree with most of what you've said in earlier posts.
 
They monitor trends with FOQA data and correct/changes procedure based on those trends. Also, if there is a real 'WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED' moment, the pilots can get a call from the FOQA gate keeper.

If an airline had problems that they weren't addressing, how does FOQA data help? It doesn't.
 
It's interesting to me that some of the most literally perfect flying I see (from a flight data analysis standpoint) is done by an Asian corporate jet operator. They almost never have any kind of exceptional operation. And when they do it draws the notice of their chief pilot. I am reminded of a student who got a B instead of an A.

Conversely, there is a charter operator who flies the same equipment in the western world and does some concerning things on a regular basis — beyond simply not meeting stable approach criteria.

I have wondered if the difference boils down to money. One operator probably has a large pool of pilots retired from an airline or military career, the other may be a group that has relatively high attrition and little to no experience in a large/established group where some form of professional standards are stressed. Or one may have no strong consideration for the extra time/fuel associated with flying a visual ten mile final vs. turning base-to-final at 450 feet.

I'm not trying to put all the credit on the guys sitting up front, either. Guidance and expectations are influenced by the folks who have to write checks, and my understanding is that experience and training beyond minimum standards costs money or commands better pay.
 
If an airline had problems that they weren't addressing, how does FOQA data help? It doesn't.
Foqa can and does do wonders once plugged into AQP. Training really is your safety backbone.

What is real neat is you can quantify your culture a bit. 135, then Colgan to Pinnacle, then Mesaba, now obviously Pinnacle again, almost Endeavor. Each pilot group has it's strengths and weaknesses and you feel it antidoquially (sorry everyone i murderd that spelling) but Foqa will show you, HOLY CRAP our guys are completely disregarding stbilized app. crieria at these four airports! Or why the hell is no one following our memo about keeping 200 to 3000ft or something like that.

Foqa won't show you a whole compamy of pilots who refuse to write up an issue on an airplane, but it may show you where procedures arent being followed and lead you to some good learning or some changes tp the book.

AQP and Foqa might be the new CRM for airlines over the next twenty years.

Something else to think about. Manufacturing has shown time nd again that safety processes save so much in the long term it can't possibly be ignored, I think aviation is the same way. Maybe Foqa isnt perfect but it is an improvment and may be our best path forward.
 
Yes it does.

FOQA helps an airline know what the problems are that need to be addressed.

In the hands of the FAA, anonymous FOQA data does little to remedy problems that airlines are unable or unwilling to address themselves.

The raw data should be public information.
 
In the hands of the FAA, anonymous FOQA data does little to remedy problems that airlines are unable or unwilling to address themselves.

The raw data should be public information.
Eh I don't think US airlines are THAT bad on their safety records we need that level of attention from the general public. You would be surprised what AQP with Foqa can do for a training deptartment.
 
Foqa can and does do wonders once plugged into AQP. Training really is your safety backbone.

What is real neat is you can quantify your culture a bit. 135, then Colgan to Pinnacle, then Mesaba, now obviously Pinnacle again, almost Endeavor. Each pilot group has it's strengths and weaknesses and you feel it antidoquially (sorry everyone i murderd that spelling) but Foqa will show you, HOLY CRAP our guys are completely disregarding stbilized app. crieria at these four airports! Or why the hell is no one following our memo about keeping 200 to 3000ft or something like that.

Foqa won't show you a whole compamy of pilots who refuse to write up an issue on an airplane, but it may show you where procedures arent being followed and lead you to some good learning or some changes tp the book.

AQP and Foqa might be the new CRM for airlines over the next twenty years.

Something else to think about. Manufacturing has shown time nd again that safety processes save so much in the long term it can't possibly be ignored, I think aviation is the same way. Maybe Foqa isnt perfect but it is an improvment and may be our best path forward.

The Internet quickly creates false polarities. I haven't said anything really negative about FOQA. It is a powerful tool and i think it has contributed to airline safety. It wasn't created as a regulatory tool. I am suggesting that this data might be leveraged for better oversight.
 
Sure about that?

Edited: Not sure about public disclosure.

How does the FAA use anonymous FOQA data to address specific airline deficiencies? I asked you earlier to correct me if my understanding of the anonymous nature of this data was flawed.

I read the law about a decade ago. Educate me.
 
Eh I don't think US airlines are THAT bad on their safety records we need that level of attention from the general public. You would be surprised what AQP with Foqa can do for a training deptartment.

Not surprised at all. Airline safety isn't an accident.
 
Here's a little story for those who do not understand how it can work for a pilot's benefit:

http://www.gadling.com/2010/09/03/cockpit-chronicles-foqa-kept-these-pilots-out-of-trouble-in-pan/

The majors have been using this data for a while now along with ASAP and it does work. Even many of the regional carriers have them. (not up to speed on which ones don't currently) Before FOQA daily operations were a much bigger mystery/surprise. It is a huge benefit to safety, training and to pilots. Along with programs such as LOSA and FRMS, the benefits and improvements can be excellent. This not about the FAA using the data, it is the carriers themselves who when monitoring the data and using it to seek out the pluses and minuses and develop ways to correct and avoid issues.
 
The Internet quickly creates false polarities. I haven't said anything really negative about FOQA. It is a powerful tool and i think it has contributed to airline safety. It wasn't created as a regulatory tool. I am suggesting that this data might be leveraged for better oversight.
It might but the FAA is still reactive, and when they get in that mode it becomes ready...fire...aim! It is an interesting idea but I'm afraid the feds will take it out on the pilots and not the company. There may be an agrument that the feds are competant enough to decide who the 3% of guys are which need a open LOI to straighten them up, I dont trust them with a paper and pen honestly. I feel like the unintended consequences of your idea may do more harm than good.

The feds get pushed around by companies all the time... airline and manufacturers all beat up on them. They never seem to be able to do anything meaningful when it comes to precision surgery that this would require. The FAA does a good job as the broad sword, but this would be delicate work.

Anyway, just an opinion from my years in the industry.
 
Before bailing out of this thread, I return to the subject of the thread and ask, can we improve safety through closer examination of the data?

Beyond an airline's internal use of flight data, should regulatory bodies further utilize data?
 
Before bailing out of this thread, I return to the subject of the thread and ask, can we improve safety through closer examination of the data?

Beyond an airline's internal use of flight data, should regulatory bodies further utilize data?
To me it seems like nuking a tent in the desert. With that said I hope I've been respectful about my disagreeing with you.
 
Not sure what part of his post you're laughing at, but in my opinion your delivery does...suck.

Let me make it clear, that post was PERSONAL opinion, not an attempt at forum moderation.

Forgot to use the [/mod] tag. :oops:
 
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