Aircraft automation policy implications for aviation safety

• Main Author: Blum, Scott C.
• Language: EN
• Published: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 2017
• Subjects: Public policy
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10259459

<p> Since the first aircraft accident was attributed to the improper use of automation technology in 1996, the aviation community has recognized that the benefits of flight deck technology also have negative unintended consequences from both the technology itself and the human interaction required to implement and operate it. This mixed methods study looks at the relationship of technology to the severity of aircraft mishaps and the policy implications resulting from those relationships in order to improve safety of passenger carrying aircraft in the United States National Airspace System. U.S. mishap data from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Aviation Safety Reporting System was collected covering aircraft mishaps spanning the last twenty years. An ordinal regression was used to determine which types of flight deck technology played a significant role in the severity of aircraft mishaps ranging from minor to catastrophic. Using this information as a focal point, a qualitative analysis was undertaken to analyze the mechanisms for that impact, the effect of existing policy guidance relating to the use of technology, and the common behaviors not addressed by policy that provide a venue to address aviation safety. Some areas of current policy were found to be effective, while multiple areas of opportunity for intervention were uncovered at the various levels of aircraft control including the organizational, the supervisory, the preparatory, and the execution level that suggest policy adjustments that may be made to reduce incidence of control failure caused by cockpit automation. </p>