Sanctions against Asiana won’t improve industry safety
The Korean government has ordered Seoul-based Asiana Airlines to suspend its flights to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) for a 45-day period as a penalty for the July 6, 2013 crash of a Boeing 777-200ER at that airport.
The Asiana 777 involved, Flight 214, hit a sea wall at the end of the runway and crashed into the ground before catching fire. Three people were killed and nearly 50 received serious injuries.
It was, therefore, a very serious incident that gained worldwide attention. In a report issued in June, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) highlighted “the flight crew’s mismanagement of the approach and inadequate monitoring of airspeed.” The NTSB also found that “the complexities of the auto throttle and autopilot flight director systems, and the crew's misunderstanding of those systems, contributed to the accident.”
Korea’s action against Asiana, therefore, is understandable. Further, the country also suffered a separate serious tragedy in April when a ferry capsized, resulting in the deaths of more than 300 people including many school students. Naturally, there has been considerable public pressure for accountability.
Nevertheless, Korea’s punitive action against Asiana is misguided and regrettable.
The airline industry has a long history of sharing information about incidents or “close calls” where an incident was narrowly avoided. That information sharing is based on an environment of trust and is a vital part of the global air transport industry’s extremely high safety record. No other form of transport – not even walking – is as safe.
In an environment where you risk punitive action, however, the willingness to share safety information is inhibited. Rather than improve safety, it could have the unintended consequence of doing the opposite over the long term.
ATW understands that Asiana is considering an appeal. IATA, AAPA and several airlines have voiced their opinions against Korea’s sanctions.
Korea should listen to their concerns. They know and understand the importance of maintaining an open culture when it comes to safety. It’s a culture that has helped prevent many incidents.
No airline wants to risk a safety incident. It can be expensive in equipment terms and, of course, is a human tragedy when people are harmed. Asiana suffered both with Flight 214 as well as considerable damage to its good reputation.
But a flight suspension will not correct those wrongs. More important, it will not make Asiana – or any other airline – “more safe”. Rather, it could set parts of the industry on the potentially dangerous path of hiding, rather than sharing, safety information.