New SAFO Offers Guidance to Reduce Approach Risks

Source: https://nbaa.org/, News Editor, First published April 14th, 2025

A recently released FAA Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) serves as an important reminder for business aircraft flight crews to thoroughly review procedures for challenging approaches.

SAFO 25001, “Risks Associated with Visual Approaches,” comes in response to the recent spate of high-profile accidents, incidents and near misses in the National Airspace System (NAS), leading to increased concern among agency officials and operators.

According to the SAFO, “As the NAS continues to grow in use and complexity, efforts have been ongoing to prevent unsafe operations such as runway incursions, unstable approaches, altitude and route deviations, and runway identification errors. In light of recent events, the [FAA] identified the need to ensure all operators and pilots understand and evaluate the risks associated with the acceptance and execution of visual approaches.”

The SAFO urges flight department managers, operations and training directors and check pilots, among other personnel, to review the importance of maintaining an active visual scan to avoid potential conflicts with other traffic, and increased vigilance while operating at airports with published VFR routes in the vicinity of instrument approach and departure paths.

Flight crews are also advised to request an instrument approach “to reduce the likelihood of misalignment with VFR traffic, runways or taxiways and maintain a stabilized approach,” the SAFO said.

The SAFO also emphasizes the pilot in command is authorized to communicate “unable” to ATC when a controller issues instructions that may present an unsafe condition, such as landing on a shorter runway than expected; maneuvering at low altitudes on approach; and performing circle-to-land approaches.

While the SAFO focuses on visual approaches, “The guidance presented extends to essentially all operations and maneuvers in the airport environment,” said Heidi Williams, NBAA senior director, air traffic services and infrastructure. “Recent incidents highlight the need for flight crews to understand the potential complexity of what may seem to be a relatively straightforward approach procedure or ATC instruction.”

An effective safety management system (SMS) can also assist flight operations in analyzing safety data and assessing risk associated with emerging hazards. “Evaluate existing risk mitigations to determine if they are effectively controlling risk, or if additional action is required,” the SAFO said.