Ground operations accidents and incidents were dominated by one causal factor — failure to comply with clearances — according to a study conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) of occurrences at Australian airports, 1998–2008.1,2 The occurrences occurred most frequently on taxiways, at the gate and during pushback.
Ground operations accidents and incidents — called “occurrences” by the ATSB — are rarely spectacular enough to make headlines in the popular press. Nevertheless, they represent a risk significant enough that Flight Safety Foundation targeted them in its Ground Accident Prevention program.
Based on data from the International Air Transport Association, the Foundation estimates the injury rate at nine per 1,000 departures. According to the Boeing Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Aviation Accidents (ASW
