Risk Management Magazine

Unmanned aircraft have many built-in procedural safety checks similar to manned aviation, such as system limitations, environmental factors and airspace deconfliction methods. These procedures are in place to ensure the safety of the aircraft and aircrews operating in the same area of operations.

After 24 years in Army aviation and six more as a civilian helicopter emergency medical services pilot, I recently returned to the military community as a Department of the Army civilian (DAC) aviation safety inspector. In just six months on the job, I discovered a trend that has not changed since I first left the Army — the lack of near-miss reporting.

It was my first deployment to Afghanistan, and I was involved in a nighttime mixed-aircraft, six-ship air assault to insert troops for a cordon-and-search for a high-value target. It was also my first air assault of the deployment.