Risk in the National Airspace System (NAS) is continuously evolving, increasingly complex, and interconnected across different aviation industry sectors. The USAST achieves a unified approach for managing national aviation safety by proactively addressing risk and accelerating the flow of information – from hazard identification through implementation on the front line of operations to monitoring the effectiveness of mitigations developed by safety risk management panels. The USAST also requires even more coordination, collaboration, and cooperation between government and industry, as well as across industry sectors.

The USAST integrates the existing safety teams (USCAST, USGAJSC, and USHST) with ASIAS. Supported by an Aerospace National Safety Issue Registry (ANSIR), the USAST model bolsters the effectiveness of national-level aviation risk assurance. The USAST will be committed to a collaborative process that can prioritize systemic safety issues to be addressed by shared data analytics resources or individual aviation community teams. Key enhancements of the USAST include a unified governance structure, the ANSIR, and constant vigilance.

The USAST and community safety teams use Safety Management System (SMS) techniques to address potential systemic safety issues identified through ASIAS, industry forums, or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. The system-level safety cycle touches all pillars of SMS: Safety Policy (governance), Safety Assurance (data monitoring), Safety Risk Management (development of new Safety Enhancements), and Safety Promotion (sharing lessons learned with other safety professionals).

CONTACT USAST: Communications Working Group Chair, First Last