Flight Crew
SMS Operations & Individual Responsibilities

Gold Aviation Services is a Part 135 on-demand air charter operator. Under 14 CFR Part 5, the FAA requires all Part 135 certificate holders to maintain an SMS. Our SMS is not just a compliance requirement; it is how we manage risk systematically, identify hazards before they become incidents, and continuously improve safety performance throughout our organization.
The SMS belongs to everyone in the organization. Safety is a shared responsibility: every employee is expected to identify hazards, report safety concerns and all mandatory reportable events, and support the risk controls that keep our operation safe.

Key roles within the SMS:

• Accountable Executive (AE): Ultimate accountability for the SMS. Has authority over resources required to implement and maintain the system. Signs the safety policy [14 CFR §5.23, §5.25].
• Director of Safety (DOS): Day-to-day management of the SMS. Administers the voluntary reporting system, develops and tracks corrective actions through CAPA, conducts internal audits, facilitates external audits, administers the CASS program, maintains SMS records, the SDS/MSDS library, and safety training records.
• Director of Operations (DO) and Chief Pilot: Exercise operational control and oversee the integration of Operations department and Flight Operations department within the SMS.
• Director of Maintenance (DOM): Exercises operational control and oversees the integration of the Maintenance department within the SMS. Holds company authority for the maintenance program and ensures maintenance-related hazards are identified and addressed within the SMS.

Safety Action Group (SAG): A cross-functional working group that executes review, analysis, and support tasks. Meets regularly to discuss hazards, learning outcomes, and policy changes while assessing risks and risk controls. The group reviews safety reports as needed and initiates action on identified issues.

Safety Board: Chaired by the Accountable Executive. Meets quarterly to review safety performance data, SPI trends, audit results, and safety risk profile trends. Includes the Director of Safety, Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, Director of Maintenance, and leaders from other operating departments. Collaborates on organizational direction for safety priorities and resource allocation.

The Gold Aviation voluntary safety reporting system is the primary mechanism for hazard identification. Submit a report for any safety concern – near-miss, hazard observation, operational error, equipment issue, or unsafe condition – at any time.

How to submit: Reports are submitted through FOS. The Director of Safety is your point of contact for all safety reports.

What to report:

• Any near-miss or unplanned event that could have resulted in injury, damage, or loss
• Any hazard you observe – in operations, maintenance, facilities, or process
• Errors you made or observed that could recur
• Organizational conditions (pressure, fatigue, communication failures) that are creating safety risk
• Anything that didn't feel right, even if nothing went wrong

What happens after you report:

1. Your report is received and acknowledged in FOS
2. The DOS reviews it and classifies it by hazard type and risk level
3. If corrective action is required, it is opened and assigned in FOS
4. The SAG reviews the report and monitors the corrective action to closure
5. You may be contacted for additional information – this is part of the process, not an investigation of you

The Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) is Gold Aviation's Operational Risk Assessment: a mandatory pre-departure tool completed before every flight leg. It applies binary scoring to defined risk factors across four categories: pilots, aircraft, environment, and external factors. Each factor is either present (1) or not applicable (0); the cumulative count determines overall risk level.

• Low risk: Operations may proceed. FRAT must be documented before departure.
• Medium risk: The DOS is notified and coordinates with the Chief Pilot before a go/no-go decision is made. Mitigations and the decision must be documented before departure.
• High risk: Do not depart. The DOS is notified and coordinates with the Chief Pilot on the go/no-go determination; a mitigation plan and crew briefing are required. All actions must be documented.

The FRAT is a core component of Gold Aviation's Safety Risk Management process under 14 CFR Part 5. A High score means the tool is working.

Just culture in flight operations means you can report errors, near-misses, and hazards without fear of automatic discipline. But it also means you are expected to use that protection responsibly: to surface safety information that helps the organization learn.

In practice, this means:

• If you make a mistake: report it. A self-reported error is handled very differently from a discovered unreported one.
• If you observe a colleague engaging in at-risk behavior: report it. The just culture framework applies to your report, not just your own conduct.
• If you feel pressure (from scheduling, dispatch, or management) that is causing you to take shortcuts: that is reportable. Organizational pressure is a systemic hazard.
• Removal from duty for fitness concerns is a protected act. If you remove yourself from a flight for safety reasons, that decision is supported by Gold Aviation Services' safety policy.

As a pilot at Gold Aviation Services, your SMS responsibilities under 14 CFR Part 5 and the Gold Aviation SMS Manual include:

• FRAT completion: complete the Flight Risk Assessment Tool before every flight. Medium risk requires DOS notification and documented approval. High risk requires DOS notification and operational control approval before departure.
• Fitness to fly: you have a personal and regulatory obligation to assess your own fitness before every flight. Fatigue, illness, medication effects, and psychological stress are disqualifying if they impair your ability to perform your duties safely. I'M SAFE is a useful self-assessment tool.
• Hazard and incident reporting: submit a safety report for any near-miss, unusual occurrence, unstable approach, go-around, ATC deviation, bird strike, or other safety-relevant event. Same-day reporting is strongly preferred.
• CRM and assertiveness: speak up. If you observe something concerning at any phase of flight, regardless of who is PIC, you are expected and empowered to raise it.
• Training: complete all assigned SMS training modules by the due date.

When a safety report, audit finding, or other identified hazard requires action, the DOS opens a CAPA in Gold Safety. This is how Gold Aviation Services documents, assigns, tracks, and verifies the response to safety risks.

1. Initiation: DOS opens a CAPA, links it to the originating report or finding, and documents the hazard and risk level
2. Root Cause Analysis: root cause and contributing factors are identified and documented
3. Assignment: a specific, verifiable action is assigned to a responsible party with a due date
4. Implementation: the assigned party completes the action
5. Verification: DOS confirms the action was completed and effective
6. Closure: the CAPA is closed with documentation

If you are contacted by the DOS during the investigation phase, that is a normal part of the process. It is not an investigation of you personally and does not affect your just culture protections.