SMS Long Before SMS Was Invented
NOTE: This post is from one of our frequent contributors to this blog, "Birdseye59604.
Lukla
Airport in Nepal is said to be the most dangerous airport in the world. The
airport is located in the middle of the Himalayas at an elevation 9300 ft, with
a 1700 ft runway. The airport is popular because Lukla is the place where most
people start the climb to Mount Everest Base Camp. There are daily flights
between Lukla and Kathmandu during daylight hours in good weather. Although the
flying distance is short, rain commonly occurs in Lukla while the sun is shining
brightly in Kathmandu. High winds, cloud cover, and changing visibility often
mean many flights can be delayed or the airport closed.
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Since SMS can
be applied in the middle of the Himalayas, SMS can be unconditionally applied
everywhere else.
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Aircraft
can use runway 06 only for landings and runway 24 only for takeoffs. There is
no prospect of a successful go-around on short final due to the terrain. There
is high terrain immediately beyond the northern end of the runway and a steeply
angled drop at the southern end of the runway into the valley below. Lukla
Airport was constructed in 1964 and long before SMS in aviation was invented.
"These SMS processes are necessary for safe approaches, landings, take-offs and departures."
What
makes Lukla Airport the most dangerous airport in the world are the many safety
processes of a Safety Management System which has to be applied within a short
time of operational management to ensure public safety. These SMS processes are
necessary for safe approaches, landings, take-offs and departures.
SMS
was implemented for flights into Lukla without questioning if all the processes
were required by regulatory requirements. SMS for Lukla was unconditionally implemented
to ensure safety for the public.
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SMS is an
unconditional one way departure to safety.
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When
SMS is implemented only as a mandatory regulatory requirement it becomes a
safety distraction and not safety processes to ensure operational safety. However,
when SMS is unconditionally accepted as processes to manage safety it becomes an
operational safety tool.
BirdsEye59604
