Exploring the effect of introduction of Threat and Error Management in Australian general aviation

Abstract. Following the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) introduction of Threat and Error Management (TEM) into the various Annexes to the ICAO convention, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) mandated TEM training in Australia. It has been more than four years since TEM training was introduced to notionally increase aviation safety in Australia. However, to date there has been no definitive post implementation review of the introduction of TEM. This study, exploratory in nature, is a first step in looking at how TEM training was regarded among Australian general aviation pilots in terms of its use and effectiveness. A total of 59 general aviation pilots participated in a survey. Just over a half of participants (n=31) either agreed or strongly agreed that they felt the number of accidents/incidents has reduced in their organisations after TEM training was introduced. This is a large decline from two surveys previously conducted by ATSB (2009) where nearly 90 per cent of participants either agreed or strongly agreed that the use of TEM principles would improve safety. Other results from the survey indicated a variable uptake of TEM principles and differing opinions as to its effectiveness, suggesting further study should be conducted in respect of TEM as an important safety initiative within Australian general aviation