Background

Two government reports on aviation safety provided the framework for the formation of CAST. The White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security report released in February 1997 challenged the government and industry to reduce the accident rate 80 percent over ten years. The National Civil Aviation Review Commission report followed up in December with a recommendation that the FAA and industry work together to develop a comprehensive integrated safety plan to implement many existing safety recommendations and develop performance measures and milestones to assess progress in meeting safety goals. The Commission also recognized that the global nature of aviation demanded that aviation safety needed to be addressed worldwide, not just in the United States. The FAA and the industry determined that their safety advocacy work was complimentary and CAST was formed in 1997.

CAST was established with two goals: to reduce the U.S. commercial aviation fatal accident rate by 80 percent over a 10-year period ending in 2007 and to work with airlines and international aviation organisations to reduce the worldwide commercial aviation fatal accident rate.