On Monday, September 16, Textron Aviation announced its newly implemented Safety Management System (SMS) had achieved approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The new SMS is used to support the design and manufacturing of all current and future Textron Aviation aircraft.

Currently, Textron Aviation, which is the parent company of both Cessna and Beechcraft, produces several Cessna and Beechcraft lines of aircraft, mostly at its facilities in Wichita, Kansas, and in Independence, Kansas. This includes several single-engine Cessna aircraft, two turboprop-powered Cessna aircraft, the

Cessna Caravan
and the Cessna SkyCourier, and several Cessna Citation business jets, like the Citation Latitude and the Citation Longitude, among others. It also includes several Beechcraft aircraft, like the

King Air
and the soon-to-be certified Denali.

Ongoing safety management efforts

This newly implemented safety management system represents a follow-on approval from an earlier-accepted program that supports the maintenance and support efforts of Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft. Both of these program approvals by the FAA indicate an ongoing effort to maintain the highest standards of product quality at each division of Textron Aviation.

Cessna Citation M2 in Hamburg, Germany shutterstock_2375846015

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

In a statement, Todd McKee, the Senior Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain at Textron Aviation, spoke about the new successful SMS. He said,

“With a longstanding commitment to safety and quality in manufacturing, Textron Aviation has been designing and manufacturing industry-leading Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft for more than 95 years. This FAA approval is a testament to our commitment to product safety at every level of operation. Together, we are setting new standards in the aviation industry, ensuring that safety and quality are at the forefront of everything we do.”

About the Safety Management System

Overall, the SMS is a program to maintain product safety. The system is a systemic approach that involves various organizational structures, procedures, policies, and processes throughout the company. The newly-approved SMS program now includes a voluntary reporting tool. Various employees, customers, and vendors can now easily report possible quality risks or hazards on Textron Aviation aircraft. These reports are then filtered to the Textron Aviation SMS committee, which will then evaluate any potential risk, investigate the root cause, and then implement a response plan.

Beechcraft King Air 360

Photo: Textron Aviation

Chris Hearne, the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Textron Aviation, spoke about this collaborative effort. He stated,

“By integrating the insights and expertise of our employees, customers and suppliers into our SMS, we not only enhance our ability to identify and mitigate risks but also strengthen the collaborative continuous improvement of our products and services. This collaborative approach is in line with our mission to empower our collective talent to design and deliver the best aviation experience for customers.”

Several other new procedures were implemented with the new SMS program. Overall, the SMS focuses on collaborative efforts between several different manufacturing and engineering branches, which is meant to quickly address any safety risks while still enhancing operational performance throughout the company.

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