Engineering Commons^™

Systematic Review Of Safety Management Systems In The United States General Aviation, Kenneth J. Gilbert Ii, Mba, Atp

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

A safety management system may benefit General Aviation by increasing safety and reducing accident rates. This paper aims to systematically review the existing literature in targeted databases for gaps concerning general aviation safety management systems. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology provided the overall structure. Science Direct®, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University's Scholarly Commons, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website were the three publicly available sources. Initial search criteria included PDF research articles (2006-2022), including the terms safety management system and general aviation. Additionally, keyword searches for the terms policy, promotion, risk management, …

A Comparison Of General Aviation Accidents Involving Airline Pilots And Instrument-Rated Private Pilots, Douglas D. Boyd, Mark Scharf Ph.D., David S. Cross

Publications

Introduction: The extremely low accident rate for U.S air carriers relative to that of general aviation (~1 and ~60/million flight hours respectively) partly reflects advanced airman certification, more demanding recurrency training, and stringent operational regulations. However, whether such skillset/training/regulations translate into improved safety for airline pilots operating in the general aviation environment is unknown, and the aim of this study. Methods: Accidents (1998-2017) involving airline pilots and instrument-rated private pilots (PPL-IFR) operating non-revenue light aircraft were identified from the NTSB accident database. An online survey informed general aviation flight exposure for both pilot cohorts. Statistics used proportion testing and Mann-Whitney …

Simulation And Analysis Of 4-D Airspace Closures Due To Commercial Space Operations: Impacts On Airlines And General Aviation, Janet K. Tinoco, Noah D. Eudy, Maxwell Cannon

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

When industries share key portions of their eco-systems, industry-industry competitive and structural pressures can inhibit the advancement of both. In the case of aviation and commercial space, an eco-system component critical to both industries is shared airspace. The integration of air and space activities in a safe, efficient, effective, and equitable manner is compulsory for both industries to grow and thrive. In order to develop solutions, one must first understand the effects of space operations on current national airspace system (NAS) users. By using actual flight data in a simulation environment of space operations out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, we …

Efficacy Of The Localized Aviation Mos Program In Ceiling Flight Category Forecasts, Douglas D. Boyd, Thomas A. Guinn, Thomas A. Guinn

Publications

(1) Background: Flying in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) carries an elevated risk of fatal outcome for general aviation (GA) pilots. For the typical GA flight, aerodrome-specific forecasts (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF), Localized Aviation Model Output Statistics Program (LAMP)) assist the airman in pre-determining whether a flight can be safely undertaken. While LAMP forecasts are more prevalent at GA-frequented aerodromes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends that this tool be used as supplementary to the TAF only. Herein, the predictive accuracy of LAMP for ceiling flight categories of visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) was determined. (2) Methods: …

A Comparison Of Special Category Light-Sport And Corresponding Type-Certificated Aircraft Safety, Carolina Anderson, Alan Stolzer, Douglas D. Boyd

Publications

The special category light sport airplane (light sport) sector of general aviation has grown 10-fold in as many years with solo operations requiring only a sports pilot's certificate. With little research on light sport airplane safety, the study objective was to compare light sport and type-certificated airplane accident rates.

Accidents were identified from the National Transportation Safety Board database. Statistics employed Poisson distribution/proportion analyses/Mann–Whitney U-tests.

For the 2009–2015 period, the light sport airplane accident rate (fatal/non-fatal combined) was > 15-fold higher than comparable type-certificated aircraft, undiminished over time. The excessive light sport airplane accident rate was associated with inferior airman experience …

Bird Hazard Mitigation Training For General Aviation Pilots - A Prospective Research Study, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Thomas Q. Carney

Publications

• General aviation industry
• 446,000 aircraft worldwide
• 211,000 in the U.S.
• Supports $219 billion in total economic output and 1.1 million jobs in the U.S
• Flies approximately 25 million flight hours (U.S.)
• Flies to more than 5,000 public airports
• Primary training ground for most commercial airline pilots

Rates And Causes Of Accidents For General Aviation Aircraft Operating In A Mountainous And High Elevation Terrain Environment, Marisa Aguiar, Alan Stolzer, Douglas D. Boyd

Publications

Flying over mountainous and/or high elevation terrain is challenging due to rapidly changeable visibility, gusty/rotor winds and downdrafts and the necessity of terrain avoidance. Herein, general aviation accident rates and mishap cause/factors were determined (2001–2014) for a geographical region characterized by such terrain.

Accidents in single piston engine-powered aircraft for states west of the US continental divide characterized by mountainous terrain and/or high elevation (MEHET) were identified from the NTSB database. MEHET-related-mishaps were defined as satisfying any one, or more, criteria (controlled flight into terrain/obstacles (CFIT), downdrafts, mountain obscuration, wind-shear, gusting winds, whiteout, instrument meteorological conditions; density altitude, dust-devil) cited …

Qualitative Analysis Of Loss Of Control Aircraft Accidents Using Text Mining Techniques, Carolina Anderson, Maryjo O. Smith

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The purpose of this study was to analyze the narrative National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident cause descriptions for general aviation (GA) Loss of Control (LOC) accident reports by the different certification categories: Federal Aviation Regulations Part 23 (Part 23), Civil Air Regulations 3 (CAR 3), Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), and Experimental-Amateur Built (E-AB). Airworthiness certification categories represent a wide diversity of government oversight. Part 23 rules have evolved from the initial set of simpler design standards and have progressed into a comprehensive and strict set of rules to address the safety issues of the more complex airplanes within the …

A Comparison Of Malfunction-Related Accidents For General Aviation Aircraft Manufactured In 1970–1984 And 2000–2014, Douglas Boyd, Jochen Hinkelbein

Publications

The United States general aviation fleet is aging with aircraft manufactured 35–39 years ago representing the most prevalent group. Since older aircraft are more prone to airframe corrosion, fatigue, and brittle electrical wiring, the present study was undertaken to determine whether malfunction-related accidents for general aviation aircraft manufactured between 1970 and 1984 were elevated relative to airplanes produced more recently (2000–2014).

The NTSB aviation accident database was used to identify piston-powered airplane accidents occurring over the 2005–2014 period. Aircraft manufacture year and fleet activity data were from the FAA. Statistical analyses employed contingency tables and Poisson distributions.

The proportion of …

A Comparison Of Malfunction-Related Accidents For General Aviation Aircraft Manufactured In 1970–1984 And 2000–2014, Douglas Boyd, Jochen Hinkelbein

Publications

The United States general aviation fleet is aging with aircraft manufactured 35–39 years ago representing the most prevalent group. Since older aircraft are more prone to airframe corrosion, fatigue, and brittle electrical wiring, the present study was undertaken to determine whether malfunction-related accidents for general aviation aircraft manufactured between 1970 and 1984 were elevated relative to airplanes produced more recently (2000–2014).

The NTSB aviation accident database was used to identify piston-powered airplane accidents occurring over the 2005–2014 period. Aircraft manufacture year and fleet activity data were from the FAA. Statistical analyses employed contingency tables and Poisson distributions.

The proportion of …

Estimating Airport Operations At General Aviation Airports Using The Faa Npias Airport Categories, Mary E. Johnson, Yue Gu

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The number of annual aircraft operations (take-offs and landings) is a significant concern to both airport owners and operators and to governmental agencies because operations data are one of the most important criteria used for determining future investments in airports. However, estimating the number of aircraft operations at non-towered general aviation airports is challenging work due to the lack of counts from air traffic control towers or useful estimates developed using models. Previous work in estimating annual aircraft operations has resulted in models and sampling methods that are imprecise or difficult to use. In 2014, new classification categories of 2,939 …

2016 General Aviation Flight Training Metrics, Steven Hampton, Ken Byrnes, Troy Techau

Publications

The study evaluates training at a collegiate flight training program (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) providing metrics for time and costs from zero time to a Commercial certificated Pilot with Instrument and Multi-Engine add-ons. Training times for flights and activities are pulled from a sophisticated database used at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) and matched with flight and ground school lessons and then further subdivided to determine the amount of time spent training in areas of operation that are prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration in the published Practical Test Standards and Airman Certification Standards for those seeking pilot licenses and ratings.

Provided …

Should Charity Air Medical Organizations Require Commercial Certification Of Their Pilots?, Douglas Boyd, Charles Peters

Publications

Fixed-wing medical transportation crashes operating under 14CFRPart 91 show higher fatal outcomes than non-medical Part 91 flights. Advanced certification may translate into increased safety; yet we know of no charity aeromedical transportation requiring such certification. Herein, in a retrospective study, we determined (a) whether commercial certification is associated with a reduced fatality rate compared with the less stringent private pilot certificate and (b) accident causes.

Causes And Risk Factors 1 For Fatal Accidents In Non-Commercial Twin Engine Piston General Aviation Aircraft, Douglas D. Boyd

Publications

Accidents in twin-engine aircraft carry a higher risk of fatality compared with single engine aircraft and constitute 9% of all general aviation accidents. The different flight profile (higher airspeed, service ceiling, increased fuel load, and aircraft yaw in engine failure) may make comparable studies on single-engine aircraft accident causes less relevant. The objective of this study was to identify the accident causes for non-commercial operations in twin engine aircraft. A NTSB accident database query for accidents in twin piston engine airplanes of 4-8 seat capacity with a maximum certified weight of 3000-8000lbs. operating under 14CFR Part 91 for the period …

Risk Perception Analysis Of A Small Aircraft Transportation System, David S. Ferrel, Thomas Q. Carney, Scott R. Winter

Publications

This study examines the impact and relationship between demographic factors and risk perceptions toward Small Aircraft Transportation Systems (SATS). The study included 178 participants who responded to an electronic survey administered to Purdue University faculty members and to selected leaders within the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics department. Participants were surveyed as to their demographic identities including gender, age, academic position, and aviation familiarity, as well as their perceptions of physical, financial, and status risk from a SATS program. Results of this study showed that certain demographic factors are significant predictors of certain SATS travel risk perceptions. Participants’ intentions to travel via …

Developing Proactive Methods For General Aviation Data Collection, Scott Shappell, Carla Hackworth, Kali Holcomb, John Lanicci, Massoud Bazargan, Jaclyn Baron, Rebecca Iden, Daniel Halperin

Publications

Introduction. Over the last 20 years, nearly 40,000 general aviation (GA) aircraft were involved in accidents, roughly 20% of which were fatal. To address this safety concern, scientists have often relied on accident data. Because of the rare nature of accidents, commercial aviation incident and near miss data may prove to be useful sources of safety information. In one such study, the National Transportation Safety Board interviewed GA pilots that were flying near a weather-related accident in pursuit of a different perspective than that of the accident pilot. Interviewing GA pilots about their own weather-related event may provide similar …

The Influence Of Visibility, Cloud Ceiling, Financial Incentive, And Personality Factors On General Aviation Pilots' Willingness To Take Off Into Marginal Weather, Part I: The Data And Preliminary Conclusions, William Knecht, Howard Harris, Scott Shappell

Publications

Adverse weather is the leading cause of fatalities in general aviation (GA). In this research, influences of ground visibility, cloud ceiling height, financial incentive, and personality were tested on 60 GA pilots' willingness to take off into simulated adverse weather. Results suggested that pilots do not see "weather" as a monolithic cognitive construct but, rather, as an interaction between its separate factors. This is supported by the finding that the multiplicative statistical effect of visibility and ceiling could better predict takeoff than could the linear effect of either variable considered separately. Also found was a statistical trend toward financial incentive …

Final Report: A Comparison Of Three Evaluative Techniques For Validating Maintenance Documentation, Alex Chaparro, Bonnie Rogers, Chris Hambllin, Barbara Chaparro

Publications

Surveys and interviews reveal that general aviation manufacturers rely on user[s] to identify problems in maintenance documentation with corrections typically initiated in response to users-reported problems found in the manual;. This investigation compares techniques that manufacturers can use to improve the quality of the maintenance documentation developed by technical writing groups. The techniques, User Performance and Cognitive Walkthrough, were used to identify problems in aircraft maintenance documentation.