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UK Civil Aviation Regulations

These are published by the CAA on our UK Regulations pages. EU Regulations and EASA Access Guides published by EASA no longer apply in the UK. Our website and publications are being reviewed to update all references. Any references to EU law and EASA Access guides should be disregarded and where applicable the equivalent UK versions referred to instead.



The detail given in IR 2015/1018 is a plain and simple list classifying occurrences in civil aviation to be mandatorily reported.

This page will help you answer questions and provide guidance on what to and what not to report to the authority. We have also included some key additional attributes which should be included in these reports which will help further analysis. These attributes could form part of your initial report or subsequent follow up or closure reports.

To ask a question, email us at safety.intelligence@caa.co.uk.

EU376/2014 or IR2015/1018 Reference Question Interpretation, guidance and key attributes
Wildlife strike including bird strike Does this now mean all birdstrikes?

Yes, this includes all wildlife and birdstrikes with or without damage. Suspected Birdstrikes or encounters with flocks should also be reported.

Key additional attributes

Species if identified, location of damage on the aircraft.

Any rejected take-off Previously we have only reported high-speed RTO reports (over 80kts). Do you now want ALL RTO reports or do we continue as before?

Yes, we now require all RTO occurrences reporting.

Key additional attributes

Speed at RTO is essential.

Activation of any flight envelope protection, including stall warning, stick shaker, stick pusher and automatic protections. The new wording is a bit more direct than in the previous version of CAP 382. Do you now want ALL ‘stick shaker’ events?

Yes, we want to see all Stick Shaker Events.

Key additional attributes

our Altitude, Speed and Phase of Flight, and Environmental Conditions

Prolonged loss of communication with ATS (Air Traffic Service) or ATM Unit. What is meant by ‘Prolonged’?

Prolonged loss of communication is in common use within ANSPs it has not been defined officially because it’s different depending on the situation. For example, with the location of event, if an aircraft is heading for London, the length of ‘prolonged’ time would be shorter than for an Aircraft in oceanic airspace. For flight crew we suggest it should be interpreted as ‘the lack or loss of communications for a period of time which has become potentially unsafe’.

Key additional attributes

Location and the time since your last communication.

Foreign object damage/debris (FOD). Is this all foreign object damage/debris occurrences.

This now covers Foreign Object Debris (FOD) which causes damage and the presence/detection of FOD which poses an immediate threat to the safe operation of an aircraft. It is not intended for the reporting of FOD detection during routine FOD operations unless the item detected is an aircraft part.

Key additional attributes

Location on aerodrome and location of damage on the aircraft.

Unexpected encounter of poor runway surface conditions Does this now mean ALL encounters of poor runway surface conditions?

Yes, all encounters with a poor runway surface. This includes the surface itself and the environmental conditions affecting the surface i.e. aquaplaning, Snow/Slush etc.

Key additional attributes

Runway in use, conditions affecting the surface, surface type and the effect on aircraft braking/handling.

Fuel dumping. Does this now mean ALL fuel jettison reports?

Yes, all fuel dumping occurrences should be reported. There may be a requirement to analyse this data for Environmental impact.

Key additional attributes

Amount of fuel and location.

Damage to aircraft by ground handling equipment or vehicles including previously unreported damage. Is this ALL ground damaged aircraft reports?

Yes, all events where the aircraft has been damaged; whether it’s been reported to the crew by the Ground Handling agent or detected on subsequent sectors. Ground handlers should report the occurrence to the crew and into their organisation.

Key additional attributes

Location of Damage on the aircraft, the equipment or vehicle which caused the damage.

Call sign confusion related occurrences Is this all call sign confusion reports?

You should report a call sign confusion event if a crew acts upon an incorrect instruction. This can be extended to Ground Call signs if it results in any type of incursion or interference with an aircraft.

Key additional attributes

Call Sign used, instruction followed and, for ground movements and ground call signs, the location on the aerodrome.

Push-back, power-back or taxi interference by vehicle, equipment or person. Does this also refer to stand obstruction by ground equipment during push back?

Yes, the inability to enter or leave a stand due to the presence of a vehicle, person or equipment obstructing the stand is classed as interference.

Key additional attributes

Obstructing vehicle, equipment or person, Stand number and location on taxiway and its designation.

Short and long landing. Does this now mean deep landings?

Yes, deep landing is just another name for a long landing.

Key additional attributes

Approach type, runway length remaining and runway in use.

Unintentional release of cargo or other externally carried equipment. What does this refer to??

This refers to the release of cargo such as, helicopters with underslung loads, agricultural aircraft releasing its ‘cargo’ of pesticides, for example. Externally carried equipment such as winches, spotlights, cameras etc.

Key additional attributes

Height when dropped, whether the load was hazardous and nature of third-party impact.

Loss of a system Is this all systems?

Any system whose loss diminishes the performance or safety features of the aircraft and endangers or which, if not corrected or addressed, could endanger an aircraft, its occupants or any other person?

Key additional attributes

How did the loss alter the aircraft handling? Did you need to divert and were RFFS requested whether they were required or not?

Loss of redundancy of a system Is this all systems?

Any redundancy system whose loss diminishes the performance or safety features of the aircraft and endangers or which, if not corrected or addressed, could endanger an aircraft, its occupants or any other person?

Key additional attributes

How did the loss alter the aircraft handling, did you need to divert and were RFFS requested whether they were required or not.

Activation of genuine ground collision system such as GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System)/TAWS (Terrain Awareness and Warning System) ‘warning’. What does ‘Genuine’ mean?

‘Genuine’ means that the GPWS/TAWS has issued an alert that was both appropriate and necessary. A warning against a known object not in the systems database is still a genuine alert.

Key additional attributes

Warning type, height, latitude and longitude of the warning.

Incorrect control or application of aircraft maintenance limitations or scheduled maintenance. Is this any overrun?

Yes, any maintenance task not carried out in accordance with the limitations defined with an approved maintenance program and for which a variation has not been granted.

Key additional attributes

Was the maintenance Line or Base. The name of the activity and the duration of the delay.

Boarding equipment removed leading to endangerment of aircraft occupants. Is this any door open when steps / high-lift equipment removed?

This is for when there are any Crew, Passengers, Engineers or Ground Handling staff still on-board the aircraft and their access is removed without suitable safeguarding in place.

Key additional attributes

The door the equipment was removed from, what equipment was removed, who was onboard and were there any injuries.

Any occurrence where the human performance has directly contributed to or could have contributed to an accident or a serious incident What does human performance mean?

Human performance events can include occurrences where the actions of individuals or teams impacts the safe operation of the aircraft, or where their ability to safely carry out duties might be hindered. This applies to everyone who is obligated to report under the regulations, not just limited to pilots. Examples of this can include (but are not limited to) events related to: Experience or training, situational awareness, perception, task performance and physiological events.

Key additional attributes

Role of the individual or team.

Difficulty in controlling intoxicated, violent or unruly passengers. Is this all disruptive passengers?

No, this refers only to passengers who are on board the aircraft. Events considered as reportable include physical abuse of any crew member, continuous significant passenger disruption including those requiring and en route diversion, the request of an expeditious approach or emergency call, use of restraint kit, theft of, tampering or deliberate damage to safety equipment, deliberate damage to any equipment which renders it unsafe and/or unusable or any disruption which prevents the crew from carrying out safety related duties. Events considered as not reportable include general arguments, physical contact between passengers, the use of cigarettes traditional or e-cigarettes, alcohol not purchased onboard being consumed or subsequently being discovered as having done so, passengers being offloaded prior to departure, passengers leaving their seats after landing without permission, damage deliberate or otherwise to seats or other non-safety related equipment or post disembarkation cleanliness.

Key additional attributes

Extent of injuries, action taken by crew or by authorities on landing.

Significant spillage during fuelling operations. Is this all spillages?

No, minor spills are not reportable, significant spillages are defined as those which are unable to be contained/controlled by the ground service providers’ spillage kit.

Key additional attributes

Were RFFS in attendance?

Jet blast, rotor down wash or propeller blast effect. Is this all jet/propeller blast and rotor downwash events? No, only those incidents resulting in injury, damage or the creation of FOD.
Crew fatigue impacting or potentially impacting their ability to perform safely their flight duties. Is this all Fatigue Events?

No, Fatigue events can be thought of as operational and non-operational. Operational Fatigue events are when fatigue has manifested during the operation of your duty whether it impacted your performance or not. These are reportable.

Non-Operational Fatigue events are those which are identified prior to duty periods so that the potential for operational impact can be mitigated against. These are not reportable to the authority.

Key additional attributes

Crew position involved and cause of the fatigue are useful for further analysis.