“Miracle on the Hudson” co-pilot to explain how culture of safety saved 155 lives

Metals Service Center Institute, Rolling Meadows, Ill., has announced U.S. Airways co-pilot Jeff Skiles as keynote speaker at the MSCI Safety Conference in Indianapolis, Sept. 27-28. Skiles, who together with pilot Chesley Sullenberger safely crashed their jet into the Hudson River with no lives lost in 2009, said a no-blame, dedicated safety culture was key to saving those 155 passengers.

Skiles said the industry over time has developed constantly updated procedures based on pilots’ ability to step up and describe their mistakes without being penalized by their companies or federal aviation authorities.

“We have developed systems over the last 25 years that allowed us to be successful,” Skiles said of the heroic river landing. “And those systems are not particular to the airline industry. They transfer readily, as they must, to any business or organization where safety is the primary concern.

“It used to be with an engine failure, we would have to remember what to do, but as planes and flying became more complicated, it was obvious we needed written checklists and formalized procedures.” These, he explained, have only been developed because of a no-fault reporting system that reaches from the FAA down to every flight officer.

“This is all part of our culture of safety, and that culture drives everything we do,” Skiles said. “We did have to overcome the hesitancy of pilots to report, but over time we’ve changed the culture and made it clear that this information is shared throughout the industry, down to all front-line employees, and has become an invaluable tool to save lives.

“Human beings are just human,” Skiles said. “The vast majority comes to work to do the best job they can. But management can help with that. And consistently analyzed quality assurance and accident data can enhance workers’ awareness.”