The event, held in accordance with CENIPA guidelines, aimed at raising the situational awareness of all members of BANT and other air units
SERIPA II, Lieutenant Colonel Filho, Aspirant Gabrielle Varela and Lieutenant Alvarez
The Second Regional Service of Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (SERIPA II), in partnership with the Natal Air Base (BANT), held the 1st Safety Week at the facilities of the Tactical and Specialized Training Group (GITE), between March 27th and 31st.
The event, held in accordance with the guidelines of the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA), aimed at raising the situational awareness of all members of BANT and its air units, in preparation for the beginning of the Operational Specialization Courses for Rotorcraft, Fighter, Transport, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (IVR), and also to mark the beginning of the prevention activities for the Cruzeiro do Sul (CRUZEX) exercise, which is planned to take place in 2024, at BANT.
In the occasion, the Commander of the Second Regional Air Command (II COMAR), Air Major João Campos Ferreira Filho, in his opening remarks, substantiated the importance of the aeronautical accident prevention activities for the accomplishment of the Aeronautics Command (COMAER) mission, highlighting the effective contribution of CENIPA and its regional services in this subject.
During the week, the following speakers were present: the Chief of the Space Operations Center (COPE) of the Aerospace Operations Command (COMAE), Air Brigadier Rodrigo Alvim de Oliveira; the Deputy Chief of the Office of Parliamentary Assistance and Institutional Relations of the Aeronautics Command (ASPAER), Air Colonel Marcelo Filgueiras de Sena; the CENIPA Investigation Section Chief, Airplane Specialist Colonel Ivan Santos de Lima; the Air Force Academy (AFA) Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Section Chief, Major Aviator Fernando Lopes da Silva; the Consultant and Flight Test Pilot, David Branco Filho; and the LATAM Commander, Daniel Alberto Mantovani.
The first three days of the event were dedicated to the study of specific issues of aviation, aircraft maintenance and ramp services, aimed at pilots and maintainers. In the last two days, the subjects approached were of common use for all the airmen. Besides case studies, contents related to the prevention of ground occurrences; accident prevention in the aircraft maintenance activity; loss of control in flight; engine failure in twin-engine aircraft; accident prevention in the take-off and landing phases; among others, were presented.
After the end of the event, the Chief of SERIPA II, Lieutenant-Colonel Jorge Vieira de Mello Filho, highlighted: “Currently, BANT has five air units, three of them for instruction. Besides that, it operates and maintains an airfield and six different projects, both fixed-wing and rotary-wing. SERIPA II, as SIPAER’s representative in the region, has fundamental importance in this context, since it contributes systematically in direct support to the flight safety activities of these military operators”.
Lieutenant Colonel Filho also reinforced that: “our mission is directly related to the preservation of the combat capacity of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). Thus, events like this one contribute significantly to the achievement of the finalistic activities of preparation and employment of the FAB and, also, to the marked reduction in the number of aeronautical occurrences.
Finally, after the week of activities, the event provided the strengthening of the Flight Safety Culture to the BANT members. The participants positively highlighted the event’s initiative. “The initial contact with the various issues of Flight Safety, before the beginning of the aeronautical activities, is of fundamental importance for all the airmen to be aware and conscious of their operational responsibilities”, commented the Commander of BANT, Air Brigadier Éric Cézzane Cólen Guedes.
Photos: ACS BANT