Research Proposal: Disastrous Airbus A400M Clash Findings Focuses on Impacts of Accident

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL: DISASTROUS AIRBUS A400M CLASH FINDINGS
FOCUSES ON IMPACTS OF ACCIDENT 1
Research Proposal: Disastrous Airbus A400M Clash Findings Focuses on Impacts of Accident
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Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL: DISASTROUS AIRBUS A400M CLASH FINDINGS
FOCUSES ON IMPACTS OF ACCIDENT 2
Feasibility
Aircraft accidents occur sporadically; air travel has been touted as being the safest mode of
transport, with data showing that the chances of dying in an air accident being one in 9821; the
chances of dying from a car accident or in a car is one in 114 (Larbi, 2017). usually, thorough
investigations are usually done after every aircraft accident, an undertaking that usually involves
government agencies, the aircraft manufacturer, the airline/ aircraft owners, and civil aviation
authorities; such investigations are usually done not only to establish the cause of the accident/
incident, but also to develop better systems to avoid similar crashes in the future. The result is an
elaborate and rich information and data on aircraft accidents that are usually made available to the
public when the investigations are complete. In this proposed research, the author seeks to
undertake an evaluation of the Airbus 400 M flight crash which was on a test flight before its
delivery to the Turkish Airforce when it scheduled for June of 2015.
The aircraft, serial number MSN23 was being manned by a crew of Airbus defense and
Space test team using the call sign CASA423 and this incident led to several delays in delivery of
other similar aircraft by Airbus due to technical and logistical difficulties. With investigations done
thoroughly and meticulously, this proposed research is feasible because the information and data on
the investigation can be accessed easily and also because there will be interest in understanding just
what happened in the accident and its impacts to the society in in general, the aviation industry, and
the aircraft manufacturer and its customers. The Airbus A400M accident occurred in the midst of a
supply chain initiative; the aircraft was being taken through its paces of tests before being delivered
to the customer. This makes it an interesting supply chain aspect and it will provide answers on how
to prepare for and deal with catastrophic events that occur in the supply chain
Aim and Objectives
The aim of this research is to undertake a detailed research on the crash of Airbus A400M
and its impacts wit the following specific objectives;
 To discuss the events surrounding to, and leading to the accident
 To research and understand the cause of the aircraft accident
 To establish the impacts of the accident

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL: DISASTROUS AIRBUS A400M CLASH FINDINGS
FOCUSES ON IMPACTS OF ACCIDENT 3
Preliminary Critical Literature Review
There are various causes for aircraft accidents, including bad weather, external events such
as war that can lead to an aircraft being shot down, human error, and technical problems. Human
error and environmental factors, such as bad weather are particularly important areas of interest in
aircraft accidents because they account for the vast majority of aircraft accidents. Because of this,
human factor analysis and classification systems (HFACS) have been developed and used as a
theoretical tool for the investigation of aircraft accidents (Martinussen & Hunter, 2010). Shappell et
al., (2007) undertook an investigation on human error and commercial aviation accidents where
they used the HFACS to evaluate how air accidents occur. The study aimed at extending previous
similar accident investigations to include supervisory, air crew, environmental, and organizational
issues related to aviation using HFACS.
The research utilized data obtained from NTSB (national Transport and Safety Board) and
the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) as well as data from six aircrew raters for pilot,
organizational, supervisory, and environmental factors associated with 1020 accidents in the
commercial aviation realm that happened over 13 years. The results established that a majority of
the causal factors of the accidents were caused by the environment and air crew and significantly
fewer accidents were caused by organizational and supervisory issues. An investigation was
undertaken on the effects of concurrent organizational changes and aircraft accidents by Herrera,
Nordskag, Myhre & Halvorsen, (2009) where they investigated if organizational changes have a
direct effect on safety and maintenance in aviation and how this can be evaluated. The research was
based on an investigation undertaken by the AIBN (the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board);
the AIBN had undertaken a survey of whether major organizational changes had an effect on air
accidents in Norway between 2000 and 2004 with the aim of improving air travel safety and
reducing accidents.
The research established that organizational changes can impact air safety and this should be
factored in initiatives aimed at improving air safety. The Airbus A400M crash occurred during
routine testing before delivery; this makes it an area of interest in relation to supply chain
management and causes for disruptions and how these can be prevented. Knemeyer, Zinn & Eroglu,
(2009) undertook an investigation on how proactive planning can be undertaken to mitigate
catastrophic events in the supply chain because supply chains, in their opinion, had become
increasingly prone to catastrophic events. One of the reasons is because increasingly, organizations
invest increasingly less in terms of capital and human resources in supply chains; this results in
reduced slack within logistics and supply chains to handle harmful events. The Airbus incident led