Building a Reporting Culture: Making Your FTO's Safety Management System Real

Wing Commander Rajesh Kumar · Published 2026-09-16

A safety management system that receives three reports a year is not working — it is being avoided. The FTOs with the strongest safety records are the ones where students and instructors report small things, often.

Low report counts are a warning sign

It is tempting to read a quiet safety reporting log as good news. It almost never is. In any flying operation, small hazards occur constantly — a confusing radio call, a near-miss on the taxiway, a checklist item skipped under time pressure, a fuel figure that did not quite add up.

If none of these are being reported, it is not because they are not happening. It is because people do not feel safe, or do not see the point, in reporting them.

Many small reports — Are the hallmark of a healthy safety culture. Trends in minor hazards are what let a school prevent the serious occurrence before it happens.

Why people do not report

• Fear of blame. Students worry a report will count against them in their assessment. Instructors worry about their standing.
• Friction. A paper form in the office, filled out after a long day, is easy to skip.
• No visible outcome. If reports disappear into a folder and nothing changes, people stop bothering.

Fix each barrier directly

Establish a just culture — and say it out loud

Leadership should state clearly and repeatedly that honest reporting of errors will not be punished. Deliberate violations and reckless behaviour are different, and a just culture distinguishes between them — but a genuine mistake, reported openly, should be treated as a learning opportunity.

Make reporting take one minute

A report should be possible from a phone, straight after a sortie, in a minute or two. Offer an anonymous option for those who need it. The less effort involved, the more reports you receive.

Close the loop visibly

Turn reports into trends

A single report is an anecdote. Twenty reports about the same taxiway intersection, the same exercise or the same time of day are a trend — and trends are what an SMS exists to find. Categorise every report consistently so patterns emerge, and review them in a regular safety meeting.

Connect safety to the rest of the operation

The richest safety insights often come from linking reports with operational data: which aircraft, which instructor pairing, what time of day, what weather. When safety reports live alongside the schedule and maintenance records, those connections become visible.

An SMS is not a manual on a shelf. It is a habit — and the habit starts with making it easy, safe and worthwhile for everyone to report.