Analysis of Hazardous Material Incidents Reported to the Aviation Safety Reporting System

Hazardous and dangerous goods are often shipped by air on both passenger and cargo aircraft. These hazardous materials (HAZMAT), also known as dangerous goods (DG), pose a danger to flight safety, passengers, and airline personnel. This research explored how effective the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) is at identifying aviation related HAZMAT incidents. Early identification of HAZMAT trends using the ASRS data could lead to changes in aviation safety monitoring and reduce the likelihood of a HAZMAT event causing an incident. This study identified prevalent categories ofhazardous material found in reported incidents. The study further identified that most of the HAZMAT incidents involved cargo being flown on passenger aircraft and that two-thirds of the incidents were discovered after take-off. Missing or incorrect documentation was identified in approximately half of the cases. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that HAZMAT paperwork errors correlated significantly with damage to an aircraft and that the source of the problem (passenger carry on, passenger checked, cargo) correlated significantly with where (climb-out, landing, ground, cruise) the problems occurred. Introduction Purpose This study examined the various types of hazardous material incidents that were reported to the ASRS database and conducted a trend analysis to determine if the ASRS database could be a valid source for determining the extent and type of hazardous material incidents. The purpose of this study was to better understand the type and prevalence of HAZMAT incidents that can affect flight safety. By identiqing trends using the ASRS database, companies and regulatory agencies can focus rules and resources toward reducing these hazards and improve flight safety. The Aviation Safety Reporting System The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) was established in 1976 by the FAA, and uses NASA to act as the third party receiver of reports. The ASRS is a confidential reporting system used by pilots and other aviation personnel to identify potential safety hazards. The reporter is granted limited immunity fkom enforcement action for unintentional and non-criminal violations reported to the database within 10 days of the incident (Elliott & King, 200 1). According to the NASA ASRS website, more than 7 15,000 reports have been submitted to the database since its inception in 1976. The intent of the database is to reduce aviation accidents and improve safety. The data for this study were obtained fkom the NASA ASRS database. The database includes records from 1988 to 2008. Earlier data, from 1976 to 1987, were archived by NASA and are not available via public internet access. This research was conducted using the 20 years of available data from 1988 to 2008. NASA evaluates the data to eliminate duplicates, clarifies the reports and removes the identity of the reporter before posting the incident record to the database. Only incident data related to hazardous material were analyzed. One caveat on the ASRS database is that all ASRS reports are voluntarily submitted, and therefore for statistical purposes cannot be considered a random sample of the population and may show a reporting bias. The data in the ASRS database represents the lower bound estimate of the true number of events that have occurred. This study assumed that the reports to the ASRS database are true and accurate descriptions of the incidents. Research Methodology This research was conducted using a qualitative