Definition
A systematic approach to managing safety, including necessary organizational structures, accountability, responsibilities, policies, and procedures.
Why it matters
Individual controls work best when leadership, reporting, analysis, decision rights, resources, and assurance operate as one system.
Questions that turn reading into a defensible review
A strong review separates the event description, possible precursors, recorded evidence, approved criteria, and the final safety decision.
What exactly is being examined?
A systematic approach to managing safety, including necessary organizational structures, accountability, responsibilities, policies, and procedures.
Which conditions could build the exposure?
Compliance activity detached from operations; Unclear risk ownership.
What evidence would strengthen the picture?
Leading and lagging indicators Control performance and overdue actions
What must remain authoritative?
Current approved aircraft data, operator procedures, investigation findings, and the source document’s own scope control any operational conclusion.
Timeline, aircraft state, relationships, and recurrence
This topic is primarily organizational. Flight data may contribute trend or outcome context, but it does not directly measure the complete management system.
Cause, intent, compliance, and technical disposition
An FDM alert or pattern is not by itself a causal finding, judgement of individual performance, regulatory conclusion, or aircraft maintenance and airworthiness determination.
Reports, approved criteria, context, and authoritative evidence
Combine the recorded picture with applicable procedures, crew and operational reports, weather or airport information, technical evidence, and the linked official publications and investigation sources.
SMS operating loop
Policy enables risk management; assurance tests performance; promotion sustains capability and culture.
Common causes and precursors
- →
Compliance activity detached from operations
- →
Unclear risk ownership
- →
Actions tracked to closure but not effectiveness
Operational risks
- R1
Recurring hazards
- R2
Weak reporting culture
- R3
Resources misaligned with risk
Guidance themes
These are cross-source themes for orientation. Apply only the current, approved material for the aircraft and operation.
- Define accountable owners and objectives
- Assess risk in context
- Use assurance to test control effectiveness
Safety actions to consider
Integrate FDM, reports, audits, and investigations
Review risk at leadership level
Protect safety information appropriately
Parameters that help explain the event
A useful event picture comes from signal relationships—not a single exceedance or a generic threshold.
Recommended monitoring questions
Leading and lagging indicators
Control performance and overdue actions
Reporting confidence and data quality
Cases that add context
ASIP provides a concise learning index. The investigation authority report remains the definitive source.
Editor-reviewed starting points
These records include a deeper ASIP editorial review. Continue to the full evidence index below for direct matches and broader manufacturer, regulator, and investigation reading.
Safety Management Manual (Doc 9859), Fourth Edition
ICAO's fourth-edition manual explains how safety data, risk management, assurance, culture, and governance work together in State and service-provider safety management.
Official sourceAnnex 19 — Safety Management, Third Edition
Annex 19 consolidates ICAO safety-management provisions, including State safety responsibilities, SMS, safety-data collection and processing, and the protection and sharing of safety information.
Official sourceAC 120-92D — Safety Management Systems for Aviation Service Providers
FAA guidance explains performance-based, scalable approaches to integrating safety policy, risk management, assurance, and promotion into aviation organizations.
Official sourceAnnual Safety Review 2025
EASA's review uses occurrence and accident information to describe performance across aviation domains and to support the European safety-risk-management process.
Official sourceTitle or indexed metadata explicitly matches this topic.
Related collection material for adjacent systems, phases, and defenses.
Manufacturer, regulator, investigation, and safety-organization sources.
Where the reading comes from
37 source records
Official links · no copied report files37 source records match the current evidence filters.
Annex 19 — Safety Management, Third Edition
Annex 19 consolidates ICAO safety-management provisions, including State safety responsibilities, SMS, safety-data collection and processing, and the protection and sharing of safety information.
Open official sourceAnnual Safety Review 2025
EASA's review uses occurrence and accident information to describe performance across aviation domains and to support the European safety-risk-management process.
Open official sourceStatistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents, 1959–2024
Boeing's 56th annual statistical summary organizes commercial-jet accident data using stated definitions and the CAST/ICAO occurrence taxonomy.
Open official sourceIATA Annual Safety Report — 2024
IATA's 61st annual report provides an interactive, method-defined view of commercial aviation accident performance and contributing-factor classifications.
Open official sourceAC 120-92D — Safety Management Systems for Aviation Service Providers
FAA guidance explains performance-based, scalable approaches to integrating safety policy, risk management, assurance, and promotion into aviation organizations.
Open official sourceSafety Management Manual (Doc 9859), Fourth Edition
ICAO's fourth-edition manual explains how safety data, risk management, assurance, culture, and governance work together in State and service-provider safety management.
Open official sourceCAP 739 — Flight Data Monitoring, Second Edition
CAP 739 presents FDM as the systematic, proactive use of routine digital flight data within a non-punitive, just safety culture.
Open official sourceAC 120-82 — Flight Operational Quality Assurance
Active FAA guidance describes one acceptable way to establish a voluntary FOQA programme using de-identified aggregate flight data to identify and reduce operational risk.
Open official sourceBoeing Safety Management System Policy
Official Boeing material indexed for flight data and sms and airworthiness and systems. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceFlight Data Analysis (FDA), a Predictive Tool for Safety Management System (SMS)
Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for maintenance and flight data and sms. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceNTSB Safety Alert SA-022 — Mechanics: Manage Risks to Ensure Safety
Official U.S. National Transportation Safety Board material indexed for aviation safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceNTSB Safety Alert SA-023 — Pilots: Manage Risks to Ensure Safety
Official U.S. National Transportation Safety Board material indexed for aviation safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceSAFO 21004 — SAFO 21004, Air Traffic Control (ATC) Notification and Pilot Awareness When Conducting an Instrument Landing System (ILS) Autoland Procedure
Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceSAFO 20014 — SAFO 20014, Boeing 737-8 and 737-9 Airplanes: Pilot Training and Flight Simulation Training Devices ( FSTD ) Updates
Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceSAFO 18004 — SAFO 18004, Rotorcraft External Load Attaching Means and Quick Release Devices for Human External Cargo ( HEC )
Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for cabin and cargo and human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceSAFO 18013 — SAFO 18013, Updated Rotorcraft External Load Attaching Means and Quick Release Devices for Human External Cargo ( HEC )
Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for cabin and cargo and human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceSAFO 17001 — SAFO 17001, Pilot and Flightcrew Awareness of Class B Airspace Boundaries
Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceSAFO 15004 — SAFO 15004, Scenario-Based Go-Around Training
Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceLessons learned
1A closed action is not necessarily an effective action
2Safety performance needs both evidence and operational judgement