Aircraft accident evaluation using quality assessement tools

• Main Author: Maria J. Makrygianni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vilnius Gediminas Technical University 2018-10-01
• Series: Aviation
• Subjects: military aviation; quality; aircraft; cause and effect analysis; measurement analysis; SPC
• Online Access: https://journals.vgtu.lt/index.php/Aviation/article/view/5995

The case study is focused on the application of principal quality tools in a fourth generation jet fighter to evaluate a maintenance activity in an accident investigation process. The paper assesses aircraft engineers’ performance on checking aircraft tyre inflation pressure before the aircraft’s flight. Process evaluation is organized by the application of fundamental quality tools in order to provide vital information regarding the level of control. The methodology combines the benefits of statistical quality control, root cause determination, and preventive actions, to eliminate maintenance discrepancy in the future. The methodology revealed an approach to generate useful safety metrics from incident reporting data. Furthermore, this study pointed out the significance of participation at all technician levels for the successful implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM). Also, it discusses the value of TQM in aviation and suggests that continuous improvement is still needed. The paper is based on practical work being undertaken in a military squadron and, therefore, is demonstrated to be practical in an aviation environment. This study would encourage aviation personnel to rely on TQM methods for performing quality assessment monitoring and achieving continuous improvement.