Introduction to ATSAP

1. Introduction to ATSAP ATSAP stands for Air Traffic Safety Action Program A voluntary, non-punitive Air Traffic Controller safety reporting system Used to identify and proactively remove safety risks from the NAS Designed based on the fundamentals of a just culture

2. Just Culture • Avoids fear of retribution and blame thereby encouraging flow of safety related information • Promotes trust and supports learning from unsafe acts • It is neither blameless nor punitive, there will always be difference between acceptable and unacceptable behavior • Promotes constructive attitude which will tend to prevent future violations

4. Organizational Chart

5. Role & Responsibility • AOV provides independent oversight and monitors ATO operations to determine compliance with standards and directives • ATO is responsible for the daily operation of Air Traffic Control • NATCA is employee union to represent the Air Traffic Controllers

6. What’s Reportable? Controllers may file: • OEs/ODs/PEs/RIs/PDs • Any potential safety risk to the NAS such as: • Poor or confusing airport signage • Unsafe policies or procedures • Equipment, software or automation problems • Traffic management initiatives that don’t properly address sector needs • Aircraft operating procedures & airspace configurations • Human factors (fatigue, scheduling…) • Unsafe or inadequate training practices

7. Who and What is Covered? • All air traffic personnel engaged in and supporting air traffic services, and only to events that occur while acting in that capacity • Events involving noncompliance as determined by the ERC Events caused by gross negligence or reckless conduct are not accepted by ATSAP

8. Incentives In exchange for voluntary reporting, • ATO won’t decertify or take disciplinary action for events that are accepted into ATSAP • AOV will use lesser action or no action based on the level of noncompliance with applicable air traffic directives

9. Report Types • Safety Problem: Issues at a local, regional, or national level related to policies, procedures, equipment, automation, and publications, deals largely with Systemic issues • Safety Event: Incidents which result in actual or potential lost of separation or situations that results in safety degradation in the NAS. Examples are: OE/OD/PE, NMAC, RI, VPD, military facility deviation, spill out, surface incident, go arounds

10. ATSAP Process • For each submitted reports, pre-analysis is conducted by the analysts • Identifying and confidential information is removed and the reports are made ready • Reports are added to respective ERC (Event Review Committee meetings • Actual decision for each report is done by the ERC during meetings

11. ERC • ERC is composed of AOV, ATO, and NATCA, with experts from areas such as Oceanic Procedures, Flight Service, Tech Ops, Automation etc. • There is one ERC for each service area and each handle reports from its own service area • ERC meets every week, two to three days and make decisions. If a decision is difficult to make, the report is carried over to the next meeting

12. ERC Decision • Act on problems based on reports • Generate AIR and CAR to fix problems by coordinating with Facility Managers • Provides feedback to individual controllers by coordinating with Fac Rep • Add proper taxonomies in reports and close for future analysis and trending • Categorize as known or unknown issues and put in watch list if necessary • Make corrective action recommendations for: • individuals, like skill enhancement training • Organizations, systemic correction

15. Summary • ATSAP is a success story for the FAA and the industry • The largest safety program in the world • 50,000 reports in just three years • Hundred of positive changes in the NAS • Help build just culture where controllers openly share their mistakes without fear of punishment