# Presentation: 925267

## Aviation Safety Program

**Making the Skies Safer**

## Aviation Safety Program

**NASA, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have partnered to form the Aviation Safety Program**

**Growth in commercial aviation will lead to an increase in major aviation accidents**

**Notes:**
Growth in commercial aviation will lead to an increase in major aviation accidents.  This anticipated growth could eventually produce a major U.S. aviation accident every week unless something is done to bring the rate down.

NASA, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have partnered to form the Aviation Safety Program.

The Aviation Safety Program will emphasize not only accident reduction, but also a decrease in injuries when accidents do occur.

##  Aviation Safety Program

**Strategies**
**System Modeling**
**Accident prevention**
**Accident mitigation**

**GOAL:  Develop and demonstrate technologies that contribute to a reduction in the aviation fatal accident rate by a factor of 5 by year 2007 and by a factor of 10 by year 2022.**

**Notes:**
The goal of the Aviation Safety Program is to develop and demonstrate technolgies that contribute to a reduction in the aviation fatal accident rate by a factor or 5 by year 2007 and by a factor or 10 by year 2022.

The safety program will include research to reduce human-error caused accidents and incidents, predict and prevent mechanical and software malfunctions and eliminate accidents involving hazardous weather.

AvSP strategies involve:

1.  System Modeling - Using the vast amounts of data available within the aviation system to identify and correct problems before they lead to accidents.

2.  Accident Prevention - Identifying interventions to eliminate “recurring” accidents .

3.  Accident Mitigation - Reduce the risk of injury in the unlikely event of an accident.

##  Projects

**Aviation System Monitoring and Modeling**
**Provide aviation safety data to decision  makers**
**Identify causes of and precursors to aviation accidents**
**Provide health, performance and safety information**
**Ensure a seamless aviation safety database**

## 	Projects

**System-Wide Accident Prevention**
**Reduce human error factors in aviation accidents**
**Predict vulnerabilities to error in human/system operations**
**Support improved maintenance operations**
**Develop more effective training**

**Notes:**
The System-Wide Accident Prevention program is researching ways to reduce human error factors leading leading to aviation accidents.  

The program  will develop ways to predict vulnerabilities to error in human/system operations, support improved maintenance operations and develop more effective training procedures.

##           Projects

**Single Aircraft Accident Prevention**
**Reduce accidents due to loss of control in flight and aircraft system failures**
**Prevent system design                                abnormalities**
**Prevent system failure**
**Prevent loss of control**

**Notes:**
Loss of control in flight - usually resulting from turbulent weather, pilot disorientation or system failures - is a leading reason for fatal aviation accidents.  The major focus of the Single Aircraft Accident Prevention program is preventing system design abnormalities, systems failure and loss of control in in aircraft.  Techniques are being developed to detect degradation trends before they become catastrophic failures.

##   Projects

**Weather Accident Prevention**
**Reduce decision-making errors due to weather**
**Provide high-fidelity, timely and intuitive weather information**
**Enhance situational awareness in reduced visibility**
**Detect and mitigate weather hazards**

**Notes:**
The Weather Accident Prevention program strives to provide complete weather information to pilots and ground operators, thus reducing decision-making errors due to weather.  

The approach is to provide high-fidelity, timely and intuitive weather information, to enhance situational awareness in reduced visibility and to detect and mitigate weather hazards.

##            Projects

**Accident Mitigation**
**Reduce number of fatalities in an accident**
**Increase survival rate of accidents**
**Increase survival rate of post-flight crashes**
**Prevent in-flight fires**

**Notes:**
The Accident Mitigation project is working to reduce the number of fatalities in aviation accidents.  Using full scale drop tests, engineers are working to determine how to make aircraft seats, restraining systems and structures better able to withstand crashes.

This research will increase the survival rate of accidents, post-flight crashes and will also prevent in-flight fires.

## Projects

**Synthetic Vision**
**Virtual reality system                                                             for cockpits**
**Clear electronic picture of surroundings regardless of visibility conditions**
**Three dimensional moving                                                            screens will display**
**Terrain**
**Ground obstacles**
**Air traffic**
**Landing and approach patterns**
**Runway surfaces**

**Notes:**
Thirty percent of all fatal accidents worldwide are a result of impacts into terrain or obstacles the pilot did not see.  The Synthetic Vision project will make every flight the equivalent of clear daylight operation.

A virtual reality system for cockpits will provide a clear electronic picture of surroundings regardless of visibility conditions.  The technology features three-dimensional moving screens capable of displaying terrain, ground obstacles, air traffic, landing and approach patterns and runway surfaces.