Surveying aircraft operators about aviation safety in Alaska: Survey Development, Design, Methodology, and Administration

The state of Alaska has a high rate of aircraft-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses; to better understand this phenomenon, the Alaska Aviation Operators Survey was developed and administered. The goal of this research was to update the results of a previous study with the safety attitudes and opinions of aviation industry workers. Overall, research findings were limited by a low response rate (14.3% overall, 17.1% adjusted), reducing representativeness and generalizability. A thematic analysis of survey follow-up phone call conversations revealed that 89% of respondents' reactions to the survey were comprised of themes reflecting attitude, call issues, and logistics. This report focuses on detailing the development of the survey, including the design, methodology, and administration. Surveys are becoming an increasingly difficult way to gather data; understanding research methodologies that are declining in success in the aviation industry is essential to moving forward with new research techniques in the future.