What 1,000 Safety Reports Taught Us About Risk in Business Aviation

Incident Hazard Reporting is key to tracking safety data and preventing potential incidents. We analyzed nearly 1,000 reports submitted to Nimbl this past year and identified the top submission types, when events occurred, contributing factors, and more – consolidating it all in an easy-to-read Safety Report built to inform flight departments, FBOs, and everyone involved in the safety of an operation. 

The analysis included all four stages of Safety reporting:

• Initial submission
• When Events Occurred (Phase of Flight)
• Contributing Factors
• Review for effectiveness

Key-findings

Across the reports we reviewed, the most frequently cited themes included checklists or procedures being completed too quickly, interrupted, or performed with incomplete communication between the individuals involved in the task. These patterns point to systemic gaps rather than isolated errors, and they underscore why a structured, data-driven approach to SMS is far more effective than reactive incident response alone.

Reports citing two or more contributing factors increased from 55% last year to 58% this year, highlighting the interconnected nature of operational risk in business aviation.

Encouragingly, many of these reports were self-disclosed by personnel who recognized that they had missed a step, deviated from a procedure, or failed to follow a checklist. Building a strong safety culture starts with making reporting easy, consistent, and non-punitive. When team members trust that their submissions lead to meaningful change, rather than blame, reporting rates increase and the quality of data improves. The result is a more complete picture of your operation’s risk profile and the ability to get ahead of hazards before they become incidents.

Contact our team for support to help you find the best way to meet the needs of your unique operation.