The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and IATA have published new training requirements for airline pilots to prevent loss of control situations. The ‘upset prevention and recovery training’ (UPRT) requirements aim to improve safety standards by mitigating loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) accidents.
The requirements are based on International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and recommended practices and have been developed by EASA in consultation with leading industry experts. All European airlines and commercial business jet operators are required to implement these provisions by April 2016.
Tony Tyler, director general and CEO, IATA said, “Although LOC-I events are rare, 97 per cent of the LOC-I accidents over the past five years involved fatalities to passengers or crew. Partnering with EASA on this important initiative based on global standards and best practices will reduce the likelihood of such events in future.”
IATA, through its Pilot Training Task Force, is developing detailed guidance material in support of the implementation of the provisions by its European members.