Organizational factors in aviation safety management failures: the case of Indonesia
Authors
Date
2012
Type
Thesis
Fields of Research
Abstract
On 28 July 2007, the European Union (EU) banned Indonesian airlines from flying to Europe. This threatened reputations, and caused psychosocial harm and economic damage to the country. The ban was imposed because: (1) there were verified serious operating deficiencies in all certified airlines in Indonesia; (2) the US FAA downgraded Indonesia’s IASA safety rating; (3) the ICAO USOAP identified serious shortcomings in the ability of the Indonesian authorities to perform their safety oversight responsibilities; and (4) the ability of the Indonesian authorities to properly implement and enforce safety standards. These deficiencies were further evidenced by the high accident and incident rates.
The aims of this study were to: develop a reasoned and logical understanding of the causes of a series of accidents or incidents in the Indonesian air transport system; and contribute to the knowledge of aviation safety management failures.
The study was grounded in a synthesis of theories of organizational failure and learning. Based on this framework, discourse analysis was employed to examine how the airline safety environment changed over time. This study developed an understanding of the social and organizational construction of safety management in the Indonesian air transport system.
In sum, this study presented empirical evidence of: the origins of the Indonesian aircraft accidents and incidents; the deteriorating of Indonesian air transport safety management; how the vulnerability of a system may, sooner or later, lead to a crisis; and four barriers to learning from accidents.