Flight risk assessment tools are one method the FAA recommends all operators employ to enhance safety and minimize threats to aircraft operations. Expanding on that basic idea, Baldwin Safety and Compliance has broadened its safety management system (SMS) offerings for commercial and non-commercial operators by introducing what the company calls a comprehensive threat-assessment tool designed to focus on all phases of a client's flight operations.

“The industry has adopted and the FAA has regulated, in some cases, traditional risk assessments that are very specific and essentially amount to identifying points of risk that occur within a certain range before the flight,” explained Don Baldwin, founder and president of Baldwin Safety and Compliance. “But more than 75 percent of reported accidents deal with human factors as a significant contributing cause, whereas less than 25 percent fit into the technical category."

In response, Baldwin has incorporated a debriefing into all of its SMS risk protocols, “making data and lessons learned available to all its clients through mobile devices via its proprietary cloud-based program,” the company said. “Operators can take advantage of immediate feedback and information collected in real time that allows them to see where others have had issues or experienced threats that they might not have anticipated without this tool.”

The company (Booth C9438) is applying the new tool to its maintenance and rotor-wing products at no additional cost, as well as for its fixed-wing clients.