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On December 7, 1993 leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States met in
Washington, D.C. to discuss the implementation of the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), which became effective on January 1, 1994. Shortly
thereafter, political representatives, Secretaries of Transportation,
Administrators, Director Generals and other high-ranking aviation officials from
the NAFTA countries agreed to form the North American Aviation Trilateral
(NAAT). The Director General of Mexico recommended that a Trinational Safety
Steering Committee be formed to over see the aviation safety issues relevant to
the three nations. Therefore, the Trinational Technical Safety Group along with
a Steering Committee was formed. The Steering Committee works issues in
harmonization with the NAFTA agreement and other mutually beneficial programs
with respect to aviation safety.
The first NAAT meeting was held in April of 1994.The first Trinational Safety
Meeting was held in Fort Worth, Texas in June of 1994. During 1995, the Steering
Committee met to harmonize trinational safety standards exclusive to the 14
Specialty Air Services stipulated in the NAFTA. From the successes of that
harmonization process, the Director General of Mexico’s DGAC suggested that our
three countries meet to share safety data and work trinational technical safety
issues, which created the Trinational Technical Safety meetings.
In January of 1996 the first Trinational Technical Safety meeting was held in
Ixtapa, Mexico and has met every year since 1996. Its Steering Committee reports
on the work group’s progress to the NAAT and takes the NAAT recommendations back
to the work groups for implementation. The Trinational Technical Safety Group
does not interfere with nor does it address issues concerning safety oversight
of air operators, aviation maintenance organizations, or flight schools. Their
only function is addressing initiatives that benefit all three nations from a
safety standpoint. Flight Standards Southwest Region (ASW200) has geographical
oversight responsibilities for Mexico and represents the FAA on the Trinational
Technical Safety Group and its Steering Committee.
The Trinational Technical Safety Steering Committee has chartered the
following trinational aviation safety workgroups; each workgroup has
participants from the FAA, Transport Canada Civil Aviation and Mexico DGAC. Each
workgroup’s objectives or major accomplishments are listed.
- Human Factors Workgroup
- Issue a Policy Statement supporting the use of
human factors in aviation
- Establish a trinational human factors focal point
in each CAA
- Establish a trinational human factors data bank
- Develop a trinational aviation human factors
brochure to be distributed in each country
- Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) Workgroup
- Install terrain awareness warning systems in air
carrier passenger carrying aircraft
- Conduct a CFIT review of non-precision instrument
approach procedures
- Include CFIT recognition and escape maneuvers as
part of training for air carrier pilots
- Establish a trinational CFIT focal point
- Develop a trinational CFIT information brochure
- Specialty Air Services Workgroup
- Develop an Advisory Circular or policy document
in each trinational country for operators who plan to conduct operations under
the Specialty Air Service provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement
.
- The workgroup convenes biannually to review and
update the advisory material.
- Safety Workgroup
- Implement recommendations as approved by the
leadership of the Trinational Technical Safety Committee and the NAAT
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented
strategies focused on North America
- Encourage Development and Dissemination of
Aviation Safety Information Tri-Laterally
- Accident/Incident Reporting System Workgroup
- Develop a dynamic trinational accident/incident
reporting system that could be used for aviation accident comparison purposes
among the trinational countries
Using the Accident Reporting system, the following sub-workgroups were developed:
- Helicopter Workgroup
- Analyze aviation data in the Trinational Accident/Incident Reporting System to identify
leading causes of accidents for Helicopters in North America
- By policy or regulation each trinational CAA would enable:
- Voluntary Disclosure Programs
- Environmental Operations Training
- Improve Helicopter Flight Training Programs
- Flight and Duty Time Limits
- CAA Risk Based Oversight
- Establish A Safety Culture
- Air Carrier Work group:
- Analyze aviation data in the Trinational Accident/Incident Reporting System to identify leading causes of accidents for Air Carriers in North America
- Implement a unified approach to accident/incident controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) in coordination with existing air carrier CFIT safety initiatives
- Accomplishments:
- Confidential Safety Reporting Programs for Airlines and their Employees
- Re-examination of airmen
- Quality Assurance Programs
- Communication Clarity
- Line Operators Safety Audit
- General Aviation Airplane Workgroup:
- Analyze aviation data in the Trinational Accident/Incident Reporting System
to identify leading causes of accidents for General Aviation Airplanes North
America
- The Workgroup is in the process of analyzing general aviation accident
reports and will offer intervention strategy recommendations as of September
2005.
In 2000 the three nations established a North American Five Year Strategic
Safety Plan for implementation of aviation safety strategies designed to
decrease the trinational fatal accident rate for air carriers by 40% and total
general aviation accidents by 20%. Several of the workgroups identified above
are developing safety initiatives for the purpose of achieving these goals by
2005. Their progress is reported to the Trinational Technical Safety Group
annually and the NAAT, when it convenes.
As a result of the NAFTA and these annual Trinational Technical Safety
Meetings, there exists a spirit of cooperation and trust among the NAFTA
partners. It has created a free-flowing exchange of ideas and safety
issues that was not present prior to the enactment of the NAFTA. This forum,
through the Trinational Technical Safety Meetings, has opened communication
among one another for the benefit of aviation safety in Canada, Mexico and the
United States.
The work will be carried over into the new 5-Year Strategic Safety Plan for
2006-2010.
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