Aviation Safety and Security Commons^™

Assessing Safety Culture: Lessons From The Aviation Industry, Mirrette Gendi, Cheri L. Marcham, Michael O'Toole

Publications

SAFETY CULTURE has been a topic of debate in academia as much as it has been in the practice of various industries (Zohar, 2010). Although the concept and definition of safety culture and what it entails have consumed much of the debate, the assessment of safety culture has been the most controversial. Yet, on the academic level, the topic of monitoring and measuring safety culture has seen limited research that offers reliable and valid assessment tools (Goodheart & Smith, 2014), especially when compared to the importance of safety culture as a component of a safety management system (SMS).

Assessing The Influences Of Electronic Flight Bags On General Aviation Single Pilots’ Situation Awareness In Various Conditions, Dongguang Yu

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The widespread adoption of Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) among general aviation pilots prompts safety concerns regarding transitioning from traditional, heavily loaded paper-based flight bags. However, studies evaluating the impact of EFBs on general aviation pilots’ situation awareness are limited. This study aimed to determine whether EFBs enhanced or hindered general aviation pilots’ situation awareness.

The research compared EFBs with traditional paper-based flight bags to investigate pilots’ situation awareness in a single-pilot flight deck under visual flight rules, normal and emergency flight scenarios, and different mounting positions. A sample of 38 participants was recruited, including flight students, flight instructors, and retired …

Is Declined Cognitive Function Predictive For Fatal Accidents Involving Aging Pilots?, Douglas D. Boyd, Alan J. Stolzer

Publications

Civil aviation comprises airlines/charters and general aviation (GA). Currently, airlines are experiencing a pilot shortage, partly reflecting scheduled retirements mandatory for airline (but not GA) pilots aged 65 years, fueling a debate as to whether the retirement age should be increased. Herein, using 16–40 years-of-age aviators as a reference, we determined whether GA pilots aged 60+ years (i) incurred an elevated accident rate, employing, for the first time, age-tiered flight time as a measure of risk exposure and (ii) carried an excess risk for cognitive deficiency-related fatal accidents. Methods. Airplane accidents (2002–2016) involving Class 3 medical certificated pilots were per …

Smart Airports: Artificial Intelligence–Enabled Internet Of Things Networks Using Blockchain Technology, Edwin Ongola

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This article provides a perspective on how an internet of heterogeneous self-service airport terminal systems can be used for data collection, which is stored on a private or consortium blockchain depending on the ownership or operations of an airport or both. Such a setup would help to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve traveler experience at airport terminals. Moreover, it would allow airports to gather data directly from passengers as opposed to waiting to receive the same data from airlines. Subsequently, this data, now on a blockchain system, becomes a data source for other applications such as machine learning. In …

Energy Safety Management: A Training Model To Improve Flight Safety, Juan R. Merkt, Matthijs H. J. Amelink, David G. Sizoo

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Failing to properly manage an airplane’s energy state can be unforgiving. Mismanagement of mechanical energy (altitude and/or airspeed) is a contributing factor to three common types of fatal accidents in aviation: loss of control in flight, approach and landing accidents, and controlled flight into terrain. Recognizing the importance of energy management, the Federal Aviation Administration has incorporated new elements into the Airman Certification Standards, emphasizing knowledge of energy management concepts and the consequences of mishandling an airplane’s energy state. Unfortunately, no adequate guidance has been available in terms of defining key energy management concepts or suggesting how these should be …

Deep Learning For Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Coordination In Air Corridors, Liangkun Yu

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In the future, city skies will be filled with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for rapid urban transport, including parcel deliveries and air taxis. NASA's Urban Air Mobility (UAM) envisions UAVs navigating air corridors. These virtual pathways ensure safety and compliance with regulations. However, current research on UAM practical applications is limited. This dissertation focuses on designing air corridors, developing UAV control systems, and ensuring the robustness of control algorithms against disturbances in real-world environments.

Our design features an air corridor system with horizontal lanes and on-off ramps, conceptualized as cylindrical spaces and tori, respectively. To enable each UAV to locally …

Exploring A New Conceptual Framework In Aviation Maintenance Incident Reporting Using Natural Language Processing, Christopher P. Braun

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In the analysis of human error incidents, human factors specialists predominantly follow two schools of thought in categorization strategies. One is to categorize the operator’s actions by the physical properties of the activity (phenotypes); the other focuses on the cognitive behaviors preceding the incident (genotypes). These categorization strategies are intended to foster an understanding of the events, identify risks, and assist in the implementation of risk reduction interventions. Commercial aviation maintenance presents unique challenges to human factor practitioners in terms of task requirements, working environments, communication modalities, and safety standards. Complex tasks are handed from one shift of personnel to …

Situation Awareness Assessment Of Enhanced Stable Approach Flight Instrument Displays, David J. Hunter

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Through the year 2022, runway-related events, including excursions, abnormal runway contact, and runway undershoot and overshoot, were the third leading causes of fatal aircraft accidents. Principal to these runway-related accidents was the presence of an unstable approach. Pilots currently must depend on the timely recall of stable approach criteria stored in long-term memory, application of those criteria against current flight conditions, perception and cognition of deviation from those criteria, and determination of potential courses of action. Such recall is fallible, and challenges to perception and cognition are ever-present.

This study examined whether the presentation of stable approach criteria boundaries and …

Dark Knights: Exploring Resilience And Hidden Workarounds In Commercial Aviation Through Mixed Methods, Riana Steen, James Norman, Johan Bergström, Gitte F. Damm

Aviation Faculty Publications

In this study, the duality of adaptive capacity in aviation safety is examined, where the need for resilience of frontline workers conflicts with the expectations and assumptions of upstream entities, leading to system brittleness. We explore three critical categories: responsibilization, the application of practical wisdom in navigating challenging situations, and the unrecognized sacrifices that accompany adaptation. A qualitative research design is used, using three focus groups consisting of pilots in a European airline, the airline’s safety department, and the respective civil aviation authority. The study's findings reveal i. significant organizational constraint and pressure on pilots, resulting in workarounds, personal playbooks, …

Two Heads Are Better Than One: Single Pilot Operation Threatens The Safety Of The Friendly Skies, Alexandria E. Rook

Arkansas Law Review

Boeing’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (“MCAS”), an automated piloting system, is only supposed to handle aircraft operations in very specific circumstances. Despite devasting results with MCAS, Boeing has another automated piloting system on the horizon that poses even more grave risks: Single Pilot Operation (“SPO”). Boeing—along with Airbus—wants to replace one of the pilots in the cockpit of commercial airline flights with the new SPO technology it is developing. The FAA should not allow SPO technology to be implemented because it is premature, motivated by financial gain to the detriment of safety, and ignores the importance of professional judgment in …

Survival After Ditching In Motorized Aircraft, 1989-2022, Douglas D. Boyd, Volker C. Schick, Catherina Hippler, Jochen Hinkelbein

Publications

INTRODUCTION: Although an unintended aircraft landing on water (referred to as ditching) is a rare event, the potential for occupant injury/fatality increases immediately following the event due to adverse conditions. However, to date, few studies have addressed the subject. Herein, ditching events and post-ditching survival were investigated.

METHODS: Ditchings (1982–2022) in the United States were identified from the National Transportation Safety Board database. Occupant injury severity, aircraft type, pilot experience, flight conditions, and number of occupants were extracted. Poisson distribution, the Chi-squared test (2-tailed), Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance were employed.

RESULTS: A total of 96 …

A Review And Analysis Of General Aviation Instructional Accidents, Sydney Sommers

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

General aviation student pilot accidents represent a substantial portion of all aviation accidents in the United States. Almost 50% of general aviation accidents involve student pilots. Analyzing historical accident reports is the most common approach to studying accident causation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates all civil aviation accidents in the US. Using the NTSB data, I analyzed general aviation student pilot accidents in the US between 2013 and 2022. Results indicate that most accidents take place in California and Florida and can be attributed to student pilots between 18 and 65 years of age. Alaska and Maine had …

An Investigation Into In-Flight Loss Of Control Accidents Due To Horizontal Stabilizer Changes On The Piper Cherokee, Connor John Geran

Theses and Dissertations

Loss of Control (LOC) while in-flight in General Aviation (GA) has been the subject of intense research by academic institutions and regulatory agencies in recent years [4] [9] [11] [19] [20] [21]. This interest is primarily due to a disproportionate number of all aircraft accidents occurring within the GA category of flight, with 94% of accidents in 2022 occurring within GA, caused primarily by pilot LOC, with 42% of accidents having LOC as the listed cause. Research into this subject at FIT yielded the results that many common GA aircraft tend to experience a strong pitch up response after undergoing …

The Effect Of Weather On Atc Complexity And Traffic Volume In Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (Zdc) High Sectors, Amber Mccraw

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of weather on ATC complexity and traffic volume in ZDC high sectors in clear vs. convective weather using the AS&T Complexity Tool. This relationship was examined from a combined sector and individual sector perspective using both raw data and daily means for ATC complexity and traffic volume. This study employed an ex post facto effects-type design that used flight trajectory data from the FAA’s System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) Flight Data Publication Service (SFDPS) and weather data from NOAA spanning the year of 2019.

The primary analysis involved raw ATC complexity …

Incorporating Safety Excellence Into Urban Air Mobility (Uam): Insights From Commercial Aviation, Rotorcraft, And Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas), Seyoung "Evie" Jang

Senior Honors Theses

This paper focused on safety considerations in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) through a cross-industry examination of commercial aviation, rotorcraft, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Although UAM promises transformative benefits, there are safety concerns remaining. Based on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Concept of Operations (ConOps), the literature review explained the fundamental concepts of UAM. In commercial aviation, regulatory framework, pilot training and certification, vehicle design and maintenance, and emergency response planning are emphasized. For rotorcraft, safety requirements for vertical flight, collision avoidance systems, heliport standards, and weather adaptability are crucial. Leveraging UAS advancements, the study suggested autonomous systems, sense-and-avoid technology, …

Faa Medical Reform, Dana Rose

Honors Projects

This project investigates the challenges and implications of obtaining medical certification for pilots with a history of childhood misdiagnoses, focusing on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Misdiagnoses in childhood can lead to significant obstacles in the aviation industry's medical certification process, posing unique hurdles for aspiring pilots. The study examines the current FAA guidelines and procedures for medical certification, particularly the evaluation requirements for individuals with ADHD. It also explores common challenges faced by pilots, the effects of childhood misdiagnoses on their eligibility, and the impact of the FAA's ADHD evaluation process.

Through interviews with Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs), this project identifies …

Deficiencies In Safe Practices By Pilots Operating General Aviation Aircraft In Weather Conducive For Icing, Douglas Boyd Phd, Thomas Guinn Phd

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Introduction: Flights of general aviation aircraft in icing conditions pose safety hazards especially since few airplanes are equipped with ice protection systems (FIKI). Herein, we sought to answer the following questions not previously addressed: (i) Has the general aviation icing-related accident rate declined over time? (ii) Which phase(s) of flight lead(s) to the highest fraction of fatal accidents? (iii) Do general aviation pilots adhere to safe practices when operating in forecasted icing?

Methods: Retrospectively, icing-related accidents were per the National Transportation Safety Board database. Prospectively, non-FIKI single-engine airplanes, operating in forecasted icing, were tracked (January–March 2023) using FlightAwareR. Presumptive icing …

Igniting Passion:​ A Detailed Journey Through Rocketry Course Activities, Krish M. Patel, Hannah Caycedo, Joshua Gage, Josi Maness, Kevin Park, Mufeng Shen

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This course is a semester-long adventure in rocketry, led by Dr. Paul Adams. It covers everything about building and flying rockets, starting from the basics to more advanced rocketry. Students learn how to build rockets and use equipment used I payload systems like and altimeter and a GPS. We also learned about the importance of safety involved with building and launching rockets.

The Elements Of Governance And Their Association With Aviation Safety Oversight Effectiveness, João Souza Dias Garcia

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

States and their respective national civil aviation authorities promote the improvement of the global civil aviation system by developing and enforcing safety regulations for aircraft design, operations, personnel training, infrastructure, and air traffic management, among other topics. For many years, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has driven the continuous improvement of states’ safety oversight functions, supporting them in evaluating the effectiveness of these functions by conducting audits under the Organization’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP). While the benefits of these assessments have been broadly recognized, scholarly literature on the factors commonly associated with safety oversight effectiveness across states …

Evaluating Flight Crew Decision-Making Through Part 121 Taxi Operations, Grant Marsh

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

With the mandate of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) going into effect at the start of 2020, commercial companies have been able to log and store information on aircraft identification, airspeed, heading, and altitude all in one database.to Now, anyone can access previously hard-to-obtain flight data for analysis using a commercially available database. While ADS-B provides information on “what is happening,” information on “why” flight crews operate aircraft in a certain way is not incorporated into ADS-B.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) collects reports written by flight crews, Air Traffic Control Specialists, and other …