Mountain Airways is a medium-sized air operator with a fleet of 15 modern technology twin-jet airliners. The airline is planning to start commercial operations into Mountain City, a tourist resort located high in the mountains, surrounded by a beautiful landscape and showcasing the vestiges of an ancient civilization. Ground transportation can take more than two days through dangerous roads; therefore air transportation is the most suitable means of transportation.

Mountain City is served by a high-elevation airport surrounded by complex geography with no approach navigation aids, resulting in flight operations limited to daytime and visual flight conditions. Senior management of Mountain Airways requests that the director of flight operations implement the operation in compliance with all safety requirements while ensuring maximum commercial payload, with due regard to aircraft performance and limitations. The planned operation would involve an early afternoon flight into Mountain City with a quick turnaround to the main base, 90 minutes away.

The director of flight operations asks the safety manager, with your support (SMS specialist), to evaluate the safety consequences of the operation at Mountain City International Airport. One immediate and obvious generic area of concern is the operation at a high-elevation airport surrounded by complex geography with no approach navigation aids. You apply a safety risk management process to evaluate the safety consequences of the operation at Mountain City International Airport.

MODIFIED SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

One of the first tasks of your team was to describe the system in which operations are being carried out. Your team described the system as follows:

• Mountain City International Airport is located in a valley at an elevation of 11,000 feet surrounded by mountains of more than 16,000 feet.

• The airport has only one runway with a length of 3,400 meters (11,155 ft), oriented east-west (runway 09/27).

• Because of the topography, runway 09 is exclusively used for landing, and runway 27 is exclusively used for takeoff.

• A VOR is used for instrument letdown approach, located in the valley 20 miles west of the airport.

• No instrument landing system approach is available.

• No visual approaches are allowed once a departing aircraft has been authorized to take off until climb to an en route altitude clear of all obstacles has been reported by the departing aircraft.

• The visual approach in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) to Mountain City International Airport starts at 18,000 feet over the VOR. If no ground contact is established at 18,000 feet, VMC approaches are not authorized by air traffic control.

• No landing visual aids are available.

• No takeoff is permitted until an aircraft authorized by air traffic control to initiate its visual approach to Mountain City International Airport has landed and announced that it is clear of the runway after landing.

• The weather at Mountain City International Airport is variable, often characterized by a high layer of clouds with a base around 19,000 to 21,000 feet.

• Outside temperature is high between 10:00 and 14:00 hours, affecting aircraft performance.

• Katabatic winds may impose the need for tailwind takeoffs from runway 27 after approximately 16:00 hours daily.

• In case of engine fire, engine-out, or any emergency condition, return to the airport is mandatory, since weight and performance limitations would make it unlikely to comply with the obstacle clearance and net trajectory.

• The national civil aviation authority requires that the airline shall demonstrate that the aircraft can comply with the net trajectory and obstacle clearance requirements during the approach, landing, takeoff, climb, and en route phases, and that it can maneuver within the complex topography, within the safety margins and aircraft limitations, to obtain the special operation authorization as part of its operator certificate.

• A test flight is required by the civil aviation authority when the operation is ready to launch, after the documentation has been reviewed and approved, and after the flight and cabin crew have received special training for the operation at Mountain City International Airport.

Discuss the following:

1. The hazard identification and analysis process: Identify the hazards that will affect the Mountain City International Airport operation, along with their consequences.

2. The safety risk assessment process: Assess the effectiveness of existing defenses to address the safety risks of the consequences of the hazards.

3. The safety risk control/mitigation process: Discuss control and mitigation of the identified safety risks of the consequences of a CFIT due to loss of a critical engine during takeoff after V1.