SBIR-STTR Award

This innovation will consist of a method that quantifies how primary flight crew performance contributes to safety.The method will treat the human as a system element with a probability of failure just as engineered elements of the aircraft are treated by determining their probability of failure. The study tackles directly the subtopic requirement to 'address the interaction of humans with engineered systems'. Work to date has summarized the probability of failure of the pilot/flight control interface by mapping an aircraft handling qualities metric into a metric for probability of control loss. The Phase I study will expand the framework of this approach to another area of the interface between the human and the airplane that is a significant cause of accidents. The Phase II study will extend the concept to several such areas. Since the primary flight crew is involved in the majority of fatal accidents,the study will benefit NASA by contributing to NASA's goal to improve air safety.

Potential Commercial Applications:
The Phase I effort will lay the groundwork for a product that aids in designing, evaluating and regulating safe aircraft. The product would include software that facilitates inclusion of the human interaction with the aircraft, educational material for a commercially-offered tutorial, and specific consultation by AeroArts personnel during safety activities.