The Air Force Airman Safety Action Program (ASAP) is a voluntary, web-based, reporting tool to report errors and hazards.

Designed to enhance aviation safety through the prevention of accidents and incidents, ASAP is an identity-protected system modeled after those used by many airlines. These programs encourage the voluntary reporting of operations and logistics/maintenance safety issues and events, collecting critical safety information that might otherwise remain unknown.

The program is designed specifically to capture hazards and errors detected by aircrew and maintainers and to distribute that information throughout the aviation community so that all may benefit. ASAP also provides leadership with evidence of risk that may otherwise be invisible, so that risk management actions can be taken to improve safety.

The program is designed to provide a non-punitive environment for the open reporting of safety concerns and information that might be critical to identifying precursors to accidents. These safety concerns may be either observed or experienced by the submitter. The goal is to prevent mishaps by addressing those unintentional errors, hazardous situations and events, or high-risk activities not identified and/or correctable by other methods or through traditional safety reporting sources. The reported information is used to reduce mishaps through operational, logistics/maintenance, training and procedural enhancements. Through its ability to provide early identification of needed safety improvements, ASAP offers significant potential for avoiding mishaps. However, mishap prevention can only succeed with your input!

All aviation professionals make errors in all phases of flight or maintenance, regardless of experience. The details of a particular error are far more valuable than the results gained by any punitive measures. Thus, a healthy safety culture enthusiastically encourages the reporting of errors and hazards.

ASAP benefits include uncovering the latest hazards at deployed locations; the ability to brief-up threats and errors related to airfields, terrain, or air traffic control (ATC); and seldom seen navigation or weather traps. The program allows decision-makers to look across different mission design series (MDS) to perceive system-wide problems at deployed locations, with command and control, or with non-U.S. transient alert. Additionally, a fundamental benefit of voluntary safety reporting is the self-learning, self-awareness and self-correction that take place as a result of the reporting process. Reporters are guided through a user-friendly interface that prompts reflection and analysis of what occurred.

ASAP is different from Class E high accident potential (HAP) reporting because it provides a means for capturing those threats and errors that fall below the reporting threshold for Class E events. ASAP takes advantage of the proven premise that small events, that are not necessarily complex in themselves, can link together with disastrous results. ASAP also provides identity protection to reporting personnel.

Common Access Card (CAC)-holding members of the Air Force can access the ASAP "Scoreboard" on a protected website in order to see what others are reporting and to see what remedial actions have been taken to address those hazards that are identified. The ASAP Scoreboard allows us to document and track those minor incidents that escape the "net" of formal safety reporting channels but that comprise the bulk of events that we can learn from to prevent mishaps.

Since the Air Force program started in 2009, we have received 500 reports from operators and maintainers of 14 different MDS. Currently more than 50 airlines use ASAP in the U.S., producing approximately 50,000 reports every year. The U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and numerous allied air forces use ASAP or similar voluntary reporting programs. Globally, more than 105 airlines use ASAP-style initiatives that have yielded more than 500,000 reports. That's .5 million identified threats and errors to aircraft safety!

To submit an ASAP report click here:

The ASAP scoreboard can be viewed by accessing the Air Force Safety Automated System.

This is the cutting edge of mishap prevention. Welcome to ASAP!