Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre

Aviation Safety Management System Investigator (SMS Investigator) short course: 19-28th March 2024 at Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre Spaces are available on our 8-day short course which will be held at the Cranfield University campus, 50 miles north of London. Timely, objective, and thorough investigation of aviation safety events is a key element of any safety management system (SMS). When conducted within a "just culture", investigations will help to identify hazards, as well as opportunities for organisational learning and enhancement of safety culture. For 2024, we have redeveloped our popular Accident Investigation for Aviation Management course to ensure that we focus on the application of best practice in investigation to the type of events that are typically investigated in-house by an aviation service provider - such as Operators, Manufacturers, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) or Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) organisations as part of their SMS. Led by myself and Marc St-Laurent, course attendees will benefit from the expertise of experienced investigators, technical specialists and leading academic staff, and develop practical safety investigation skills through a series of lectures, workshops and a 3-day simulated investigation. Additional materials are provided online so that investigators understand how they interact with major (ICAO ‘Annex 13’ State-led) investigations, the news media and so on. Upon successful completion of the course, delegates will be able to: * Conduct safety investigations within an aviation service provider as part of their Safety Management System; and in accordance with the guidance contained in ICAO Annex 19. * Apply just culture principles to the investigation process to ensure it is objective, evidence-led and focused on improved safety performance. * Operate as an Adviser in support of a serious incident or accident investigation as conducted by a State Investigation Agency in accordance with ICAO Annex 13. Note that this course runs once per year and the following course will be 18 - 27 Mar 2025. For more information and booking details please see: https://lnkd.in/gCZiGwf

I am sad to share the news with colleagues and friends that the founder of the Cranfield University Aircraft Accident Investigation course, Frank Taylor has passed away. Frank was a much loved member of the University for over 35 years, establishing the now world-renowned Aircraft Accident Investigation course in 1977 in collaboration with what is now the Air Accidents Investigation Branch - UK (AAIB). He also created the Aviation Safety Centre which later became the Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre and was a prominent member of what is now the Centre for Air Transport Management. Frank was an active member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators and in 1996 was awarded its highest honour - the Jerome F. Lederer Award “…for outstanding lifetime contributions to technical excellence in furthering aviation accident investigation and achieving ISASI objectives, including enhancing aviation safety through the continuing development of investigation techniques.” The timing of Frank's passing is especially poignant. The largely successful outcome of the recent ground collision in Japan is in part a result of Frank's work on fuels and more widely in aviation safety and accident investigation. I recall that David King once reflected that as a retired investigator, it was hard to point to where he had made a difference – precisely because when safety is done well, it becomes largely invisible. Frank was always modest about his achievements but as one of his proud peers, I know he made a huge and lasting contribution to aviation safety, and also to Cranfield’s standing in the world.   On a personal level, Frank was the first person I knew at Cranfield and I will forever be indebted for his support, especially in alerting me to the job opportunity back in 2002. I hope that I have been able to build on the strong foundations he laid. Throughout, we’ve retained his focus on delivering practical, evidence and experience-based training. When I travel the world, I meet many investigators who benefited from what we have done and those who studied with Frank always remember him with great fondness.   It is hard to know exactly what to say other than thank you for being the father of aviation safety at Cranfield, for creating incredible courses and for educating, inspiring and challenging thousands of safety professionals around the world. It is an incredible legacy for which you will always be remembered. Blue skies and tailwinds Frank.