1) Aircraft Accident - Any occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft that takes place between the

time a person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and the time such person has disembarked, in
which a person suffers death or serious injury as a result of the occurrence or in which the aircraft, including
cargo aircraft, receives substantial damage. (See 49 CFR part 830.) (Refer to Reporting an Accident to the
NTSB at www.ntsb.gov.)
2) Aircraft Incident - An incident is an occurrence other than an accident that affects or could affect the safety
of operations
i. Runway incursion - is an incident where an unauthorized aircraft, vehicle or person is on a runway. This
adversely affects runway safety, as it creates the risk that an airplane taking off or landing will collide with
the object.
"Any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the
protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take off of aircraft."

ii. Runway excursion - is an incident involving only a single aircraft, where it makes an inappropriate exit
from the runway. This can happen because of pilot error, poor weather, or a fault with the aircraft. Overrun
is a type of excursion where the aircraft is unable to stop before the end of the runway.
iii. Runway condition describes a runway's current status in relation to current meteorological conditions and
air safety.

i. Dry: the surface of the runway is clear of water, snow or ice.

ii. Damp: change of color on the surface due to moisture.
iii. Wet: the surface of the runway is soaked but there are no significant patches of standing water.
iv. Water patches: patches of standing water are visible.
v. Flooded: there is extensive standing water.

According to the JAR definition, a runway with water patches or that is flooded is considered to be contaminated.

Airport Security
This is intended to prevent inadvertent entry of unauthorized persons or vehicles to the aircraft movement
area and to prevent damaging collision with wildlife other than birds.

Hence airports are required to:

a. Improve or establish protection against unauthorized access to air operations areas

b. Establish authorized access to air operations area through a suitable identification system
c. Identify vehicles operating in air operations areas.

Air Carrier Security

Air carriers are required to adopt and implement a screening system that would detect weapons and explosives
in carryon luggage or on the passengers. These air carriers are a required to submit its screening program to the
regulators. The carriers security program was required to:

a. prevent or deter unauthorized access to its aircrafts

b. Ensure that a responsible agent or representative of the certificate holder would check in baggage.
c. Prevent cargo and checked baggage from been loaded aboard its aircraft unless they were handled in
accordance with the certificate holders security procedures.

Acts of Unlawful Interference.

These are acts or attempted acts such as to jeopardize the safety of civil aviation and air transport, i.e.

1. unlawful seizure of aircraft in flight,

2. unlawful seizure of aircraft on the ground,
3. hostage-taking on board aircraft or on aerodromes,
4. forcible intrusion on board an aircraft, at an airport or on the premises of an aeronautical facility,
5. introduction on board an aircraft or at an airport of a weapon or hazardous device or material intended for
criminal purposes,
 6. communication of false information such as to jeopardize the safety of an aircraft in flight or on the ground,
of passengers, crew, ground personnel or the general public, at an airport or on the premises of a civil
aviation facility.

The primary objective of Aviation security

Assure the protection and safety of passengers, crew, ground personnel, the general public, aircraft and facilities of
an airport serving civil aviation, against acts of unlawful interference perpetrated on the ground or in flight.

This is carried out through a combination of measures and the marshalling of various human and material resources
on an international, national and airport level. The implementation of a security policy is based upon security
programmes at each of these levels.

MANAGEMENT OF SAFETY AND SECURITY IN AVIATION

What makes aircrafts safe

1. Airplane design –airplane manufacturers focus on safety issues from the earliest desigh stage to the end of an
airplane serviceable life. Airplanes are designed so that they can perform in condition well beyond what would
normally be needed in regular operations. They must be able to anticipate and avoid problems, function at full
capacity if something does go wrong and meet the minimum certification standards set by the government
regulatory authority.
2. Human factor engineering – since 70% of commercial airplane accidents are the results of human error,
most manufacturers makes the study of human factor a high priority when designing airplanes. Human factor
specialists, many of whom are pilots or mechanics, focus on flight deck design, cognitive psychology, human
physiology, visual perception, ergonomics and human computer interface.
3. Regulatory authority – government regulatory agencies enforce air safety rules in many ways. Government
pilots go for check rides to observe pilots while they are flying Agencies review airline training programmes
and audit maintainance records, production facilities and airport security methods.
Agencies assign a principal maintenance inspector, a principal operation inspector and a principal security
inspector to each airline.

Agencies assign engineers and quality inspectors to airplanes design and manufacturing facilities.

4. Airplane maintenance regulations – most airplane manufacturers help train airline pilots and maintenance
employees, and work with airline on a constant basis to monitor the performance of aircrafts. airline set up
regular, detailed maintenance programs that help avoid and catch problems before they become serious enough
to jeopardize an airplane ability to fly safely.

International legal instruments

The safety, regularity and efficiency of international civil aviation and its facilities are jeopardized by an ever-
increasing variety of criminal acts. In response to these recurring acts the following five inter- national legal
instruments were developed:

1. Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, signed at Tokyo on 14
September 1963 (Doc 8364);
2. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, signed at The Hague on 16 December
1970 (Doc 8920);
3. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation, signed at Montreal
on 23 September 1971 (Doc 8966);
4. Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation,
supplementary to the Montreal Convention, signed at Montreal on 24 February 1988 (Doc 9518);
5. Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection, signed at Montreal on 1
March 1991 (Doc 9571).
In adhering to these legal instruments, it is essential for States to safeguard international civil aviation against the
occurrence of an act of unlawful interference and, wherever practicable, the same security measures applied to
protect international aviation should be applied to domestic operations.

Technical Documents – annexes and other documents

Further to the above legal instruments there is:

a) Annex 17, security – safeguarding international civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference. This
document provides technical specifications in the form of SARPs.
b) Security Manual against acts of unlawful interference – Document 897/7. This document provides states
with guidance for the development and implementation of a national and an airport civil aviation security
programme.