NAAA Releases Flight Risk Assessment Tool to Enhance Agricultural Aviation Safety

NAAA has released a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) specifically designed to enhance the safety of agricultural aviation. The Ag Aviation FRAT can be found by clicking here. It was created to assist ag pilots in quickly but thoroughly evaluating the risks involved with each flight. It is the result of several years of effort from the FRAT subcommittee, working under NAAA’s Safety & Federal Aviation Regulations Committee. The goal is to improve safety in the ag aviation industry by providing a tool to focus attention on items which directly impact the safety of the current mission.

The Ag Aviation FRAT can be used by any ag pilot interested in improving their safety. The target audience is inexperienced ag pilots who may need assistance when it comes to evaluating the risks they face. Situations where it might be especially useful include when a new pilot is being sent out of state to an unfamiliar area for the first time to assist an operation in the middle of a busy spray period, and a new pilot being asked to work by themselves at a satellite strip for the first time. In both instances, the associated stress and pressure to perform can push safety from the forefront of the pilot’s mind. Using the Ag Aviation FRAT can re-assert safety to the front of their thoughts and ensure critical risk factors are considered before flying.

The Ag Aviation FRAT differs from a traditional FRAT in that each risk is written in the form of a question that is answered with a simple yes or no. At the end, the pilot is instructed that if they answered no to any question, they need to reconsider the flight or find mitigations to lower their risk. Contacting an experienced ag pilot mentor is specifically mentioned – if a pilot is unsure of what to do, they need to talk to someone who has the experience and will put the pilot’s safety ahead of everything else. No one wants to be told no, but in some cases, especially for new ag pilots, no is the right answer.

Traditional FRATs cover risks grouped in several categories, including the pilot, aircraft, environment, and external pressures. They are intended to be completed entirely before every flight. For ag aviation flights, having a pilot rate the risk associated with their total hours or if they wear a helmet before every flight would result in an overly time-consuming task, likely to be quickly abandoned. The Ag Aviation FRAT, by contrast, is organized by time – items are grouped based on when the risks should be evaluated. There are questions grouped in four time periods:

• Annual Questions – questions which only need to be asked on a yearly basis. Of course, if something does change during the season, such as development of a chronic illness, then these questions should be revisited.
• Monthly Questions – questions that should be asked monthly. While some items may not change every month, others may. Similar to the annual questions, if a pilot suddenly gets assigned a new aircraft or their workload changes substantially, reviewing these questions again is necessary.
• Daily Questions – these questions should be reviewed every day before your first flight. Some items on the IMSAFE checklist may change during the day, particularly stress and emotion. Revisit as needed.
• Before Each Flight Questions – these questions should be asked before every flight.

Ag pilots can utilize the Ag Aviation FRAT however they choose. A complete FRAT can be filled out for the annual and monthly questions and left on their desk or posted somewhere at the operation. The daily and before each flight questions can be cut from a full print out and kept in the aircraft. If pilots want to create lamented FRATs for just specific sections, portions of the FRAT (which is formatted as a PDF) can be easily copied and pasted into a new document for printing.

In addition to the FRAT, NAAA is also making available two stickers generously shared by JBI Helicopters, owned and operated by NAAA’s 2024 President, Ray Newcomb. Both are designed to be used in the cockpit where they can serve as a constant reminder to the threats faced during an aerial application. The first is a reminder about flying in the wire environment, and the second is a reminder to keep scanning, with a wheel of mission critical items an ag pilot must keep looking at during an aerial application.

NAAA encourages all ag pilots to utilize the Ag Aviation FRAT. Constantly evaluating your risks helps to keep safety as your top priority. If you have feedback about the Ag Aviation FRAT that you would like to contribute, please send it to Scott Bretthauer.