ACC: Safer Skies through Healthier Aviation Personnel

Applying Safety Risk Management

Advances in healthcare, aviation technology, and data-driven risk management suggest that we can improve the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certification system while sustaining aviation safety. Aviation leaders have created the Aeromedical Certification Collaborative (ACC) to drive innovation in managing health-related safety risks through systemic, evidence-based collaboration based on the foundation of Safety Management Systems (SMS).

ACC members include airlines, airline associations, pilots, pilots’ associations, aviation medical examiners, healthcare professionals, academic researchers, and the FAA. The ACC is partnering with the not-for-profit MITRE Corporation to serve as an independent, conflict-free convener and connector for this voluntary initiative.

ACC members lead the work and define the nature of the collaboration, setting expectations for its studies and data protections so every ACC member and the flying public benefit. The ACC is planning studies about mental and physical health and their relation to human performance and safety. Studies will range in size and scope, from tabletop exercises to risk modeling to privacy-protected data analysis.

Expected Future Benefits

The ACC expects to make an impact by:

• Clarifying the performance effects of medical conditions to understand potential impacts on aviation safety.
• Enabling an earlier return to duty for grounded pilots and air traffic controllers by providing evidence to support risk-managed aeromedical decisions.
• Reducing costs to airlines and the public when pilots and air traffic controllers stay healthy and work healthy.