Source: www.nbaa.org, News Editor, First Published Jan/Feb, 2026 Employees need to be able to admit mistakes without fear of reprisal. That concept is the basis of how a just culture is created and safe business aircraft operations are held to the highest possible standards. In fact, the rise of just culture, together with robust FAA/industry educational outreach and training, has significantly contributed to lower general aviation incident and accident rates. In 2023, the GA fatal accident rate was just 0.762 per 100,000 flight hours, down from 1.118 per 100,000 flight hours in 2013. In the first 10 months of 2024, the rate of serious runway incursions fell by 73% compared to the same period in 2023. In a just culture, employers create an environment where employees are encouraged to report mistakes to a designated investigative body within the company. The information is then integrated into the flight operation’s safety management system (SMS).Although staff are protected from punishment for decisions made in good faith, cases involving gross negligence, willful violations or deliberate harmful actions are not exempt from accountability. “One of the reasons I’m drawn to safety is that every day is harder than yesterday in terms of making gains,” said Antonio I. Cortés, Ph.D., an aviation safety expert at GMR Human Performance.“Just culture is an attempt to take what’s already there in SMS and other safety tools and enhance effectiveness. Hopefully, your flight department is looking for new interventions for threats and errors and, at the same time, rolling out a just culture environment – empowering and encouraging people to report dangerous situations, hazards and errors.” AN ‘ONGOING JOURNEY’ The foundation of a just culture is trust. Building trust relies upon clear, constant communication across all levels of an organization, said Rob Lewis, aviation safety officer at Jack Henry, who served as safety coordinator for almost 15 years and is still active in maintaining the company’s SMS. JUST CULTURE: STRENGTHENING BUSINESS AVIATION SAFETY THROUGH TRUST OPENING LINES 9 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 05, ISSUE 04
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