Aviation Safety and Security Commons^™

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Operator Workload And Situation Awareness Utilizing First Person View Techniques, Ross Lucas Stephenson Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) sector within the aviation industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. However, the regulatory guidance for the safe integration of sUAS into the National Airspace System (NAS) has not kept pace with this technological growth within the market. Current regulatory limitations of line-of-sight operations may have an impact on the establishment of an equivalent level of safety for sUAS operations as maintained by manned aircraft. The focal point of the discussion of line-of-sight operations has been the ability of the sUAS pilot to see and avoid all obstacles and other aircraft in a safe and timely …

Enhancing Cyberspace Monitoring In The United States Aviation Industry: A Multi-Layered Approach For Addressing Emerging Threats, Matthew Janson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This research project examined the cyberspace domain in the United States (U.S.) aviation industry from many different angles. The research involved learning about the U.S. aviation cyberspace environment, the landscape of cyber threats, new technologies like 5G and smart airports, cybersecurity frameworks and best practices, and the use of aviation cyberspace monitoring capabilities. The research looked at how vulnerable the aviation industry is from cyber-attacks, analyzed the possible effects of cyber-attacks on the industry, and suggests ways to improve the industry's cybersecurity posture. The project's main goal was to protect against possible cyber-attacks and make sure that the aviation industry …

Utilizing Flight Data Monitoring At A Part 141 Flight School To Determine Predictors For Unstabilized Approaches And Go-Arounds, Hannah Rooney

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As general aviation accident rates are much higher than those of Part 121 air carriers, and the approach and landing phase of flight accounts for more accidents than any other phase of flight, the study of the approach and landing phase of flight is warranted in greater detail. Flight Data Monitoring provides an excellent source of data for the study of individual landing parameters. The intent of this study was to evaluate potential predictors of unstable approaches as well as go-arounds.

Flight data provided by a Part 141 flight school was examined to determine predictors for unstable approaches and go-arounds. …

Language As A Factor In Aviation Accidents And Serious Incidents: A Handbook For Accident Investigators Ed. 3, Elizabeth Mathews, Joan Carson, Anthony Brickhouse, Enrique Valdes

Handbooks

In an increasingly multicultural and multilingual aviation industry, it is important that accident investigators understand the complex role of language in maintaining safe operations. This Handbook supports investigators to systematically identify language factors in aviation accidents and serious incidents.

Utilizing The System Engineering Trade Study Analysis Method To Analyze Patient Aeromedical Evacuation, Sara Shaghaghi, Jeremy M. Slagley, Michael E. Miller, Gaiven Varshney

Faculty Publications

The US Air Force has gone through many aeromedical patient isolation transport system designs. The first designs were developed in response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The trade study analysis part of the system engineering design method was used to analyze the historic and current aeromedical patient contamination control transport systems. A trade study is a process that evaluates alternatives based upon various “-ilities”, such as reconfigurability, flexibility, durability, cost, and more, and performs a systematic analysis to aid designers in producing a ‘good’ design alternative given the large set of possible solutions. …

A Comparison Of Airport Risks: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Uas) Sightings, Wildlife Strikes, And Runway Incursions, Cheng Wang, Sarah M. Hubbard

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

To provide a context for the potential threat of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) sightings on airport operations, this paper compares the characteristics of UAS sightings with two common airport threats: wildlife strikes and runway incursions. This study analyzed over 60,000 events in a three-year period (September 2016 to August 2019), including 6,551 UAS sightings from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) UAS Sightings Report database, 47,574 wildlife strikes from the FAA Wildlife Strike database, and 6,041 runway incursions from the FAA Runway Safety database. The results suggest both similarities and differences among the airport threats. Both UAS sightings and wildlife strikes …

Safety Management Of Wildlife Hazards To Aviation: An Analysis Of Wildlife Strikes In Part 139 Airports In Florida 2011–2020, Tiago Dikerts De Tella, Flavio A. C. Mendonca

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Purpose: The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to investigate wildlife strike reporting trends in Part 139 airports in the state of Florida (2011–2020); (2) to evaluate the existence of a difference in the rate of reported wildlife strikes between the seasons of the year (2011–2020); and (3) to develop information based upon the data analyzed that can be used for the safety management of wildlife hazards in Florida.
Design/methodology: The researchers in this study answered the research questions through the analyses, revision, and evaluation of existing wildlife strike and aircraft operations data. The data analyzed in this …

Characteristics Of Unmanned Aircraft System (Uas) Sightings And Airport Safety, Cheng Wang

Purdue Road School

The prevalence of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) has grown dramatically in recent years. With increasing UASs, an important consideration is UAS sightings around airports. A UAS sighting may result in an airport delay or shutdown, which disrupts airport operations and can lead to significant economic losses. This presentation discusses the characteristics of UAS sightings based on reports from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and how these UAS sightings relate to airport operations.

Examining Failures Of Kc-135 Boom Assemblies Using Survival Analysis, Benjamin D. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study are to confirm the applicability of survival analysis for predicting recurrent failures of a component of a military aircraft and to provide practical insights to maintenance managers and mission planners. The results of this study also can help the United States Department of Defense improve the CBM+ program. This study was able to predict recurrent failures of the component using Nelson-Aalen cumulative estimates. In addition, this study used a Cox proportional hazards regression model with shared frailty for measuring the effect of covariates on recurrent failures and unidentified heterogeneity in the model, which warranted future …

Urban Air Mobility (Uam) Flight Path: Literature Review And Conceptual Design Of Uam Corridor Virtual Lane System Using “Tracks”, Immanuel Bankole

Student Works

As the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry grows and becomes more popular, most of the conversations in the public domain are focused on the (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) eVTOL aircraft and the physical infrastructure that will support these eVTOL aircraft. However, there is a lack of research on UAM traffic management and flight paths taken by aircraft between locations.

The United States (U.S.) Federal Aviation Administration has proposed the use of corridors to minimize the interaction between UAM operations and traditional air traffic as eVTOL aircraft perform flight activities. The government also acknowledges the need for additional structures (such …

Air Carrier Pilot Training, Supply & Recruitment Challenges, Paul Ryder, Todd Lisak

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The route to airline recovery following the global COVID-19 pandemic is flush with opportunity for airlines, unions, and regulators to work together within current regulatory structures to recruit the next generation of aviation professionals, while continuing to ensure they are properly trained, qualified and mentored for safe flight operations. As an industry we have raised interest in pursuing aviation, but more still should be done.

The pace of the recovery from the pandemic induced reductions in air travel is testing United States pilot training and recruitment systems.

The reductions in air travel at the beginning of the pandemic led to …

Change Fatigue In Aviation Maintenance Through A Human Factors Lens, Stephanie Douglas, Bettina Mrusek

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Aviation is a demanding and fast-paced industry and it is not uncommon for aviation professionals, including maintainers, to experience rapid disruption and organizational change. Fatigue in aviation professionals is a known risk. Fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) seek to mitigate this risk by focusing on tiredness resulting from long work hours and lack of quality sleep. Recently, change fatigue has also risen to the forefront of business and employee studies. In many of today’s industries, change is constant as firms implement changes either to address disruptions, business growth or to follow trends in the industry. Frequent changes in an organization …

Determining The Effectiveness Of Single-Pilot Resource Management In General Aviation, Alaba Gabriel Idowu, Holly Augustine, Michael Adebola Shogbonyo

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

This research aims to determine the effectiveness of single-pilot resource management (SRM) towards improved safety in general aviation (GA) as compared to its counterpart, crew resource management (CRM), in commercial aviation that has improved commercial safety drastically. GA safety has been a significant concern due to many fatalities. Despite SRM concepts to ensure safe and successful flight operations, evidence showed that GA suffers a higher fatal accident rate than scheduled airline flights and holds a lackluster safety record, accounting for 94% of civil aviation fatalities. In contrast, commercial aviation safety has improved since the implementation of CRM. The investigation examines …

Why Should Airline Workers Be Trained To Respond To Fume Events?, Judith Tl Anderson

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The potential for engine oil and hydraulic fluid fumes to contaminate the ventilation air supplied to the aircraft cabin and flight deck has been recognized since the 1950s as a function of the design and maintenance of the bleed air system. The presence of oil and hydraulic fluid in the bleed air matters because the fumes contain complex mixtures of chemicals, including toxic additives. Starting in the 1950s and continuing to this day, crewmembers around the world have documented ill health during and after breathing these fumes. Also, some crewmembers have reported impairment and even incapacitation inflight, resulting in investigations …

Utilizing Drones To Streamline Wildlife Hazard Management Efforts By Airport Operators, Flavio A. C. Mendonca Ph.D., Ryan Wallace, Jose Cabrera, Cole Mcnall

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Airports operating under the Code of Federal Regulations Part 139 should conduct a wildlife hazard assessment (WHA) when some wildlife-strike events have occurred at or near the airport. The WHA must be conducted by a Qualified Airport Wildlife Biologist (QAWB). The required elements in a WHA include the identification of the wildlife species observed and their numbers, and the location of features on and near the airport that could attract wildlife. Service learning and research projects enable undergraduate students to develop transferable skills that are highly valued by the aviation industry, including critical thinking, self-confidence, the ability to integrate theory …

Airline Pilot Risk Profiling By Using Unstable Approach Management Case, Selim Ozyurek

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Risk and human decision-making cannot be separated from each other. Many of theories and studies have tried to analyze pilots’ decision-making processes, risk factors, and preference behavior in the aviation domain. Unstable approaches are fairly infrequent, but an unstable approach is a major risk factor for landing accidents (Smith & Curtis, 2013; Smith, Jamieson, & Curtis, 2012). Therefore, the decision to execute a go-around if an approach is not sufficiently stable is encouraged in the interest of safety (Airbus Customer Services, 2012; Flight Safety Foundation, 2013), but in practice less than 5% of the unstable approaches actually results in a …

Neutralization Of Fuel Tankering Emissions For Environmental Sustainability, Peter O'Reilly, Maria Petrescu, Fabricio Sulzbacher, Diogo Coutinho

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

As aviation has been one of the fastest-growing sources of emissions, this paper explores sustainable solutions in the equation of the economic savings from the fuel tankering practice, in a way it could represent gains of credibility for this industry (Boussauw & Vanoutrive, 2019). The fuel expenses in Brazil have been responsible for the highest operational cost for the airlines and, as a result, there has been an ongoing pursuit of the highest level of efficiency (ANAC, 2019). In this context, this study has been focused on the emerging Brazilian aviation market, and uses primary data collected from three major …

Fostering Safer Evacuations Aboard Commercial Aircraft: A Problem-Solution Analysis, George Skinner

Student Works

This problem-solution analysis analyzes factors impeding safe and orderly evacuations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Although rarely used, evacuation procedures are critical for keeping passengers safe during emergency situations. However, there are flaws in these procedures and many factors exist which make aircraft evacuations slow and dangerous. During a situation in which time is of the essence, these impediments can make the difference between an incident and a fatal accident. This report focuses on data gathered through full-scale evacuation simulations and analyzes shortcomings and strengths in three accidents. This information is then compared to current procedures and regulations that …

The Evolution Of Ai On The Commercial Flight Deck: Finding Balance Between Efficiency And Safety While Maintaining The Integrity Of Operator Trust, Mark Miller, Sam Holley, Leila Halawi

Publications

As artificial intelligence (AI) seeks to improve modern society, the commercial aviation industry offers a significant opportunity. Although many parts of commercial aviation including maintenance, the ramp, and air traffic control show promise to integrate AI, the highly computerized digital flight deck (DFD) could be challenging. The researchers seek to understand what role AI could provide going forward by assessing AI evolution on the commercial flight deck over the past 50 years. A modified SHELL diagram is used to complete a Human Factors (HF) analysis of the early use for AI on the commercial flight deck through introduction of the …

The Impacts Of Advanced Avionics On Degraded Visual Environments, Sultan Naseeb Harib Fairouz Mubarak, Anju Anna Jacob Dr

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Degraded visual environments (DVE) such as brownout, sand storms, and night conditions are responsible for accidents and hence losses in the aviation industry. There is a need to develop avionic systems to support pilots when they encounter environmental conditions that compromise their visual capacity. This report discusses the effects of DVEs on aviation, expounds on the advanced avionic systems available and further elaborates how these systems are implemented in countering DVE conditions. The report recommends on how advanced avionics systems have been and are being implemented in aircrafts to support decisions made by pilots flying under degraded visual environments.