Presented to: 

By: 

Date: 

FAA Aviation Safety COVID-19 

Research Activities 

Research, Engineering and Development Advisory 

Committee (REDAC) 

Anthony Tvaryanas and Stacey Zinke 

8/11/21 
~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

 

Purpose 

• Clarify organizational roles in managing communicable 

disease risk in the flying public (scoping what to do) 

• Review research activities supporting COVID-19 pandemic 

response (what we’ve done) 

• Describe proposed research activities to inform planning 

for and mitigating future communicable disease outbreaks 

(where we’re going) 

2 
~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

 

 

 

Background 

• No Aviation Safety (AVS) communicable disease research 

requirement prior to the FY23 Aeromedical Research BLI Plan 

• AVS Services/Offices organically initiated within-year-ofexecution FY21 research projects to meet urgent needs 

• Public health/emergency response function being 

established within to the Office of Aerospace Medicine 

• AVS is transitioning from a response-focused to a 

preparatory-focused communicable disease research agenda 

starting in FY22 

3 
~ 

• I 

~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

----

TtSlirnony 

Disease Transmission 

Research Has Received 

Limited FAA Focus in 

Recent Years 

Belore tt,e SubcommitteeonSpaee 

aodAe<onautics,Comm>tteeon 

Science. Space. and Ttchr.ology. House ol Rep,esenl..tive1 

AIR TRAVEL AND COMMUNICABLE 

DISEASES 

Status of Research Efforts 

and Action Still Needed to 

Develop Federal 

Preparedness Plan 

_,._., ____ _ ---

Organizational Roles (scoping what to do) 

Scope includes “[c]oordinating and supporting 

prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and 

mitigation activities among transportation 

stakeholders” (Emergency Support Function #1 – 

Transportation Annex, 2016) 

Knowledge gaps = research drivers 

• Communicable disease transmission risk 

within aircraft cabins 

• Risk control measures 

Other 

Emergency

Support Function 

#1 (ESF-1)

Transportation 

ESF-8 Health FAA Transportation (HHS) Modes 

Other ESF’s 

4 
~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

 

 

 

 

Responsive Research (what we’ve done) 

COVID-19 transmission risk within transport aircraft cabins 

• Aeromedical evidence based statements (knowledge capture and 

synthesis on high interest topics for decision makers) 

• Preliminary transmission risk calculator (V/V pending) 

Goal: Rapidly Sourcing Knowledge Needed by the Aerospace Ecosystem 

Aircraft certification concerns from COVID-19 disinfection 

• Damage to aircraft surfaces 

• Reduction of flame retardant properties 

Carbon dioxide risk from vaccine ultra-low temperature cold 

chain 

• Incapacitation of aircraft occupants 

• Incapacitation of cargo handlers 

5 
~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proposed Research (where we’re going) 

• Office of Aerospace Medicine is the primary Aviation Safety 

(AVS) research sponsor for communicable disease hazards 

• Aerospace Medicine R&D Strategic Plan “Communicable 

Disease Preparedness and Response” focus area 

– Scoped to current COVID-19 pandemic response and planning 

for and mitigating future communicable disease outbreaks 

– Three research lines of effort: 

 Supporting the airman medical certification process 

 Supporting disease surveillance 

 Mitigating the risk of transmission of respiratory diseases of 

potential public health significance within transport aircraft cabins 

6 
Focus AREA 3 - COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE 

3.1 Medical 

certification 

3.1.1 COVID-19 

sequelae 

3.1.2 Remote aeromedical 

certification exams 

3.2 Disease 

surveillance 3.2 Cabin health safety 

3.2.1 Risk assessment 

3.2.2 Risk mitigation 

3.2.3 Risk management 

plan 

~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

 

 

 

Aerospace Medicine R&D Strategic Plan (July 2021) 

Strategic focus area 

Lines of effort 

Research needs 

(programs / projects) 

7 
I 

System of Interest 

~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

 

 

 

 

 

Systems Approach & Operational Risk Management 

Identify

the threats 

of harm 

Assess the 

risk 

3.2 Disease 

Surveillance 

Implement

risk 

controls 

Supervise 

and 

evaluate 

3.2.1 Cabin health 

safety risk assessment 

Communicable 

Disease 

Preparedness 

and Response 

Analyze 

risk 

control 

measures 

Make 

control 

decisions 3.2.3 Cabin health 

safety risk mgmt plan 

3.2.2 Cabin health 

safety risk mitigation 

8 
~ Federal Aviation 

~ Administration 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabin Health Safety Research Projects 

Research need Gap Research output 

Cabin Health Safety 

Risk Assessment 

Ability to estimate the risk for 

transmission of respiratory diseases 

of potential public health significance 

within transport aircraft cabins. 

• Modeling, Simulation & Analysis 

(MS&A) framework 

• Associated tools 

Cabin Health Safety 

Risk Mitigation 

Knowledge of the potential solution 

set of control measures to mitigate 

the risk for transmission of 

respiratory diseases of potential 

public health significance within 

transport aircraft cabins 

• Risk mitigation solution sets 

• Associated mitigation evidence base 

• Mitigation M&S representations (as 

applicable) 

Cabin Safety Risk 

Management Plan 

Knowledge transfer and 

operationalization of the results of 

risk assessment and mitigation 

related research 

• Cabin health safety response plan 

• Analysis toolkit (MS&A tools and 

associated data) 

9 
Questions 

10