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NASA, FAA Developing System that Could Enhance Present Commercial Aviation Accident Prevention Programs

Dwayne Brown 
Headquarters, Washington, DC                  December 11, 1997 
(Phone:  202/358-1726)

Michael Mewhinney
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
(Phone:  650/604-9000)

Les Dorr
FAA,Washington, DC
(Phone:  202/267-3461)

RELEASE:  97-283

NASA, FAA DEVELOPING SYSTEM THAT COULD ENHANCE PRESENT COMMERCIAL 
AVIATION ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROGRAMS 

     NASA, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA) is developing an automated system that could better prevent 
commercial aviation accidents by processing aircraft performance 
data -- used to troubleshoot potential future aircraft problems -- 
more efficiently. 

     The system supports a National Civil Aviation Review 
Commission preliminary report, presented today to U.S. Secretary 
of Transportation Rodney Slater, containing recommendations on how 
best to finance, manage, and improve the performance of the 
nation's civil aviation programs. 

     Collectively called the Aviation Performance Measuring 
System, it is being developed at NASA's Ames Research Center, 
Moffett Field, CA, and works by reducing the human labor needed to 
process large quantities of performance data generated by today's 
aircraft systems.  This makes processing of the data more 
efficient and enhances the data collection and cost effectiveness 
of present safety programs of U.S. carriers. 

     The system monitors over 1200 operational functions of the 
aircraft.  Some of the areas in which the system provides valuable 
early warnings of potential problems include performance, cockpit 
instrument inputs, electrical equipment, fuel, and hydraulics. 

     "This gives the airlines an eye on operations that they don't 
now have," said Linda Connell, director of FAA-NASA's Aviation 
Safety Reporting System, which complements the program.  Funded by 
the FAA, the $3 million research program began in 1993 as a 
collaborative effort between NASA and the FAA to develop a set of 
tools that would allow large quantities of flight data to be 
processed in a highly automated fashion. 

     On Oct. 6, 1995, Alaska Airlines was the first air carrier to 
enter into an agreement with NASA for collaboration on the 
development of the suite of system's tools.  The initial 
demonstration to representatives of Alaska Airlines, Airline 
Pilots Association, and FAA was designed to respond to the 
specific requirements for information identified in a user-needs 
study conducted by the system's project team at Alaska Airlines.  
On Dec. 20, 1996, United Airlines signed a similar agreement.  The 
system's team expects to demonstrate the initial build of a United 
Airlines system using flight-recorded data from United's 40 A-320 
aircraft early in 1998. 

     The system is now undergoing operational testing by Alaska 
Airlines' personnel, analyzing data from their first six MD-80 
aircraft equipped with Quick Access Recorders.  There will be a 
continuing process of developing future upgrades of the system as 
Alaska Airlines' personnel become familiar with its capabilities 
and have time to identify new requirements. 

     Under NASA's new Aviation Safety Program, the system will 
eventually be extended to service the needs of engineering, 
maintenance, and training in the airlines, and to commuter, cargo, 
and corporate air carriers. 

     "By incorporating advanced automation techniques, we can 
detect accident precursors we didn't know existed," said Dr. 
Richard Keller, research lead for intelligent systems technology.  
"The carriers also can use the system proactively to forestall 
future problems by improving training, operations and maintenance 
procedures," he added.  At the national level, such tools could 
help to monitor the entire aviation system to detect areas where 
regulations or air traffic control operating practices need to be 
improved.

     "The FAA has funded this research and development effort to 
facilitate the capability within the industry to make the best use 
of digital flight data on a routine basis," said 
Dr. Irving Statler, the system's project manager. 

     The system provides a prototype of a flight data analysis 
ground station with broad-based reporting capabilities customized 
to the needs and operations of U.S. airlines and includes specific 
provisions for technology transfer of prototype products to 
commercial vendors using present safety programs and technology. 

    Flight operations safety programs using flight-recorded data 
have been providing critical safety information to non-U.S. 
airlines for more than two decades.  In cooperation with an FAA-
sponsored study, four U.S. airlines initiated trial programs in 
1995 that resulted in the need to improve existing off-the-shelf 
software to enhance the effectiveness of current safety programs 
of large U.S. airlines. 

                       -end-