| The Level Best
Campaign
Click here if you have
problems playing the Levelbust 2 DVD
(now out of stock, but you can view the video
here
courtesy of
Scott International Procedures)
Latest updates April 2009 here
A message from Peter Riley, Level Bust Working
Group Lead
here
The Scale of the Problem:
NATS figures for Level Busts & Losses of Separation
2004 to end of April 2009
Click to enlarge
Source: NATS Division of Safety
SSE Explanation here
The bars represent reported Level Busts – this is not the whole
story. The only statistics we are sure we capture
correctly are the Level Busts which cause a loss of separation.
We estimate that the number of reported Level Busts represents
approximately 30% of the actual number of Level Busts
During this campaign, we would like to see:
An INCREASE in the proportion of
level busts which are reported, we want all events to be reported because
we need to understand the full scale of the problem Level Busts resulting in a loss of
separation DECREASE
You will find articles and posters, which you
are welcome to use, as well as other information on Level Busts and
tips on how to avoid them.
If you have a comment about Level Busts, or
about this campaign, please e-mail us on the feedback form: every
piece of information, comment, or experience is very useful to us. We
are especially interested in which sector of the aviation industry you
are employed in. Please use the drop down box on the
feedback page to indicate this. Also, if
you'd like to be informed when this website is updated please tick the
box on the feedback form.
A
message from Peter Riley, Level Bust Working Group Lead:
The graph on the statistics page here shows a rolling total of 427
reported level busts in the last 12 month period. However, this drop
from the 450 mark at which we had previously been holding steady for
much of the last year, may be due to the recent drop in traffic
levels which is also highlighted by the graph.
Causal factors behind level busts are still dominated by Correct
pilot Readback followed by Incorrect Action (CRIA) events – often
since the actual reasons for why the crew did what they did are not
fully understood. You will also note the rise in prominence of
altimeter setting error events during 2008.
Below is an update on the workstream activities since the last
communication (Dec 08); however, these have been somewhat impacted
by the pull for resource to other areas:
Education / awareness:
-
Presentation to an airline's pre-command
course
-
Business Aviation article requested for use in FOCUS
-
Quarterly send out of slides to 47 airlines on level bust
performance, compared to the average operator
-
Analysis on events
provided to particular operators
-
Biz jet safety day planned during
March, to include distribution of a DVD regarding TCAS
interpretation.
Emerging Trends:
SID Phraseology:
Technology / Airspace:
-
NATS Operations Strategy and Investment (OS&I) report that a Common Transition Altitude
for Midlands / Manchester TMA airspace will proceed as planned
irrespective of overall airspace development project status.
-
Altimeter Setting Error Tool (using non-mandated downlinked
Barometric Pressure Setting from Mode S in conjunction with Mode C
data and Selected Flight Level) for use in NATS Swanwick
Investigations under consideration.
That’s it for now. Again, thank you to all who continue to
contribute to the ongoing work of reducing level busts within
airspace in which NATS provides the service.
Pete Riley, March 2009
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