It has been many years since safety management systems (SMS) began to be adopted by the commercial aviation industry. Today, most airlines that have effectively implemented an SMS are acutely aware of its benefits and have trouble picturing life without it. However, a different reality exists among other types of operators that are not required by regulations to have an SMS. While it is true that many of them may have successful SMS programs in place, a large number of aviation companies still operate without complying with even the most basic principles of an SMS, such as safety reporting.
Not having an SMS doesn’t mean that an operator is unsafe. Nevertheless, experience has shown that the system gives operators the chance to considerably enhance safety by uncovering important hazards and risks. Recent investigations by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) demonstrated that many accidents in the past three years, including the crash of the
