What is it?

The Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is a voluntary, non-jeopardy, pilot incident reporting system. Similar to the NASA administered Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), ASAPs provide reporters with protection against FAA legal enforcement action and company disciplinary action in cases of inadvertent regulatory noncompliance. In order to keep each reporting group separate, the program for Dispatch is called DSAP.

Why do we need it?

As much as 80% of the safety-related incidents that occur in routine airline operations are known only to a handful of people, or in many cases only one person. Without some means of collecting data on such incidents, the industry has been unable to address and correct many of the safety threats routinely faced by dispatchers and flight crews.

Why should I submit a DSAP report?

Most importantly, reporting safety-related incidents via the DSAP program ensures that an investigation will be performed and corrective action applied where it has the greatest likelihood of preventing a reoccurrence. The DSAP provides dispatchers an opportunity for direct input into the safety environment of their operation. In addition, reports that meet the acceptance criteria will be closed with no more than FAA administrative action, such as a Letter of Correction or Letter of No Action. No disciplinary action will be taken by the airline, although the corrective action may include additional training. In many cases, the corrective action will involve revisions to procedures, checklists, or other administrative documentation.

What is the acceptance criteria for a report to be included in the DSAP?

• Timely submission – the report must be submitted within a set period of time after the occurrence of the event, or when the reporter became, or should have become, aware of an incident that involved a noncompliance (24 hours from the occurrence).
• Inadvertent behavior – the alleged regulatory violation must appear to be inadvertent, and not appear to involve intentional disregard for safety.
• Legal behavior – the event must not appear to involve substance abuse, alcohol, or intentional falsification.
• Sole-source - If submitted past the accepted time period, a sole-source report will still be accepted by the DSAP.

Sole source – what’s that?

A report that is the sole source of evidence that an event occurred. If the report had not been received, the FAA would have no knowledge of the event. For this reason, there can be multiple sole-source reports of one event. For example, separate reports submitted by both a dispatcher and a crew member involved in a problem with a reroute that was not reported by ATC.

How will I know if my report has been accepted? And what corrective action has been taken?

The DSAP manager will send a note acknowledging receipt of the report, to be followed by a notice of acceptance or exclusion, and the scheduled date for the report to be reviewed by the Event Review Committee (ERC). In addition, the reporter will be notified of all corrective action(s) identified by the ERC. A synopsis of the DSAP reports will be published quarterly in the Flight Operations Safety Newsletter. There will be a DSAP web site which will contain de-identified reports that may be of special interest, reporting statistics, and information on corrective actions being implemented across the system.

What is the ERC?

The ERC is a team that will meet at least bi-weekly (and more often as needed based on the quantity of reports submitted) to review all DSAP reports. The team will be comprised of a representative from the company, TWU, and the FAA. The ERC will analyze each report for program acceptance, safety considerations, and to determine corrective actions. The decisions of the ERC will be based on the consensus of all members, using the guidance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will be signed by the three groups (airline, union, & FAA).

What if I am aware of or involved in a safety-related incident and am not a dispatcher?

Although this DSAP is specific to dispatchers, there will be provisions in the MOU to extend the opportunity to submit a DSAP report to employees other than dispatchers, which will then be accorded all of the same considerations as the dispatcher DSAP reports.

Who else has (or is establishing) ASAPs?

Frontier has developed ASAPs for other employee groups, including maintenance (MSAP) and pilots (ASAP). A new ASAP may be established in other departments, if it is determined that it would be beneficial to do so.

Where can I learn more about ASAP?

Ms. Jeannie Davison, Flight Operations Safety Project Manager, will be both the DSAP and ASAP Manager. Jeannie’s contact information is 720-374-4313 and email jdavison@flyfrontier.com. You may also contact Captain Dave Bair, Director, Flight Operations Safety at 720-374-4489 or dbair@flyfrontier.com.

Some useful web sites containing information on ASAP:

FAA ASAP page: http://www2.faa.gov/avr/afs/afs200/afs230/asap/index.cfm

ASAP FAQs: http://www2.faa.gov/avr/afs/afs200/afs230/asap/asap-faq.htm

ERC interactive flow chart: http://www2.faa.gov/avr/afs/afs200/afs230/asap/index.cfm

Air Transportation Operator’s Handbook Order 8400.10, Chapter 5: http://www2.faa.gov/avr/afs/faa/8400/8400_vol1/1_005_01.pdf