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SUBCOMMITTEE ON AIRCRAFT 

SAFETY (SAS)

2018 FALL MEETING SUMMARY

FAA Research, Engineering & Development Advisory 

Committee

November 14, 2018
SAS APPROACH

Continue to build upon work of prior SAS meetings

Keep previously identified Emerging and Future concerns in the 

forefront to assist in identifying research gaps

Meet the advisory needs of the AVS Management Team

Incorporate CSTA and outside industry / FAA expert participation 

whenever possible

Deep Dives into significant items – as defined by: 

Significant research dollars committed

REDAC priority items

Committee concern items (Emerging issues)

Continuous improvement of the research review process

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Deep dive into UAS Integrated Research Plan status (REDAC request)

Update on research portfolio and prioritization (SAS and REDAC request)

Commercial space R&D (Emerging Issue and SAS request)

General Aviation Safety (Emerging Issue and REDAC request)

Alternate fuels

Aeromedical Research (Emerging Issue and SAS request)

Support AVS requirements (SAS and AVS Request)

AIR Innovation Center Initiative

Continued education on industry observations / directional checks

Industry technology briefings 

Artificial intelligence and machine learning

Aerospace Vehicle Systems Institute

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AGENDA DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
FALL 2018 SAS MEETING OBJECTIVES

Input on guidance to the research portfolio

Discuss FAA R&D program strategy

Review and provide comment on the FAA’s recently released UAS 

Research Plan

Continue to explore previously identified emerging issues and trends 

impacting needed safety research

Commercial Space Transportation Research, Runway Friction Research, 

and the AIR Innovation Center Initiative

Learning from Industry: MITRE, AVSI (Aerospace Vehicle Systems 

Institute), PWA / UTC (Additive Manufacturing) 

Deep dive into Aeromedical topics including the Protection and 

Survival Branch and Bio-aeronautical Sciences

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GENERAL COMMENTS

R&D Program Strategy

SAS was provided with a preview of the new “research focus areas” which 

are intended to focus the R&D landscape and guide planning, execution 

and output

SAS response was favorable and encourages the FAA to provide a first 

pass at the current state of the ecosystem at our next meeting

Funding situation

FY18 Omnibus was at $189M – well above the $150M request. This is 

seen as a positive development

Out year planning remains at a $74M level based on targets from OMB. 

Unclear that there is a good process in place to assure that the right 

research gets funded when FY budgets are released at >2X target

SAS feeling is that the FAA, who is best equipped to make 

recommendations on required research, is somewhat voiceless in setting 

the research priorities

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GENERAL COMMENTS

Technology status briefings

Common themes continue to be identified in industry presentations

Will continue to use these industry briefings to ensure our emerging and 

future issues are still relevant

Emerging and future issues

Emerging issues from Fall 2014 are included in back-up

SAS agrees that it would be worthwhile to dedicate time during a 2019 

meeting to re-assessing the emerging issues to determine if there are any 

new items which should be included

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FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings

Subcommittee notes the initiative underway to establish research focus areas to 

coordinate and communicate the strategic thrust of ongoing and future research

General agreement with the approach and believes this is an opportunity to 

assure that the strategic research needs and emerging issues that the 

subcommittee has defined are captured and continuously reassessed

Recommendations

Develop and mature the research focus areas and landscapes and provide a 

draft to the subcommittee for review and feedback prior to the next 

subcommittee meeting 

FAA should consider not separating Human Factors and Aeromedical Factors in 

the new research focus areas

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Research focus areas
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings

FAA provided good visibility and follow-up into the research planning process

SAS finds that the value of each FAA research activity will be more easily understood by identifying the 

hazard and/or significant safety risk being addressed by the proposed research. 

Recommendations

The FAA should convey, for each research activity:

Alignment or linkage to the current or emerging hazards with a high likelihood or potential to result in 

significant safety risks as identified by the FAA’s research priorities

The benefits (e.g., safety improvement) of each research activity, drawing on all available data and 

reasonable hazard assessment 

Data that is more up to date should be used when identifying hazards, risks and safety issues analyzing risk 

in the NAS and identifying strategic research needs 

Advances in data mining and machine learning should be applied to the large set of operational data to 

identify causal influences and trends in emerging risk areas

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Annual Planning and Research Prioritization
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings

SAS observes the continued need for of clear leadership and responsibility for UAS research. 

While the UAS research plan has merit at the strategic level there is a significant inconsistency 

between the active research and the strategic goals of the UAS research plan which indicates 

a lack of strategic leadership and responsibility for the UAS research agenda

The SAS notes that a number of funded research activities in the UAS and other areas are 

pending DOT approval which is making it difficult to manage and execute the research portfolio

Recommendations

FAA should clearly define who has ultimate responsibility for updating the research plan and 

the process by which this occurs

FAA should develop a process for aligning proposed and planned work with the integration plan 

to assure that opportunities to adjust the plan “on the fly” to match the available funding levels 

are fully leveraged.

The FAA and DOT should develop a process to accelerate approval of grants necessary for 

advancing research projects

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UAS Research Plan
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings

Subcommittee notes the high level of industry investment and interest in 

higher level automation and machine learning for manned and unmanned 

vehicles (small and large UAV, UAM, Simplified Vehicle Operations, 

Automated Air Cargo, etc.). This is an emerging issue which the SAS has 

noted in the past but is becoming more urgent. 

Recommendations

FAA should develop a research plan to develop certification approaches and 

to support certification criteria and human factors evaluation of advanced 

automation systems

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Automation and Artificial Intelligence
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings

Subcommittee notes that the research activity is no longer airport-centric in 

its nature. 

SAS believes that the effort would benefit from REDAC input on the next 

steps. There is an opportunity to take the data that is available to develop a 

predictive tool that can be tracked and validated via on board data.

Recommendations

FAA should develop a plan to explore data reduction methods and provide 

the REDAC with an updated research approach including the overall 

roadmap and strategic plan

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Runway Friction Research
AVSI UPDATE

AVSI (Aerospace Vehicle Systems Institute) addresses issues that impact 

the aerospace community through international cooperative research and 

industry, government and academic collaboration

FAA a liaison member – participated in ~15 projects to date mostly in 

software / digital domains

Strong industry representation noted with strong IP protections

3 major themes to the research

Support of Standards

Reliability

Certification

Providing a unified aerospace industry voice for common technology issues

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Summary
PROTECTION AND SURVIVAL BRANCH

Briefed on the functions of the branch

Primary - Aerospace accident and incident prevention

Secondary - Mitigating hazards in aerospace accidents and incidents

Discussed research around survival factors 

Human performance / crew performance

Occupant protection initiatives

Work continues around the development of standards, cabin safety, speed of 

egress and physiology

Specific questions related to the research were provided to the presenters 

during the briefing

Upcoming research appears relevant and appropriately targeted toward 

emerging issues

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Summary
BIOAERONAUTICAL SCIENCES

Briefed on the functions of the branch

Forensic Sciences focuses on Forensic Toxicology and Biochemistry

Extensive research and publication ongoing relative to top toxicology findings 

from 297 cases in 2017 (aviation, rail, highway, marine)

Forensic lab contains critical skills and capabilities within the FAA that are not 

duplicated elsewhere (Spring 2018 SAS Finding)

Biomedical Sciences focuses on Functional Genomics, Autopsy and 

Knowledge Management

Leading edge research is ongoing relative to RNA and gene expression bio 

markers (“Molecular Flight Recorder”). This research should continue

Specific questions related to the research were provided to the presenters 

during the briefing

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Summary
AIR INNOVATION CENTER INITIATIVE

SAS provided with the opportunity for discussion of the Aircraft 

Certifications Innovation Center

Realignment is ongoing with the directorates changed to be functionally 

aligned

All certification offices are now under one executive leader (Lance Gant)

Policy and innovation division consolidates all policy and standards under 

one leader (Mike Romanowski)

Intent is to align with trends in the industry and to eliminate functional silos 

driven by different product types

Specific questions related to the center were provided to the presenters 

during the briefing

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Summary
FALL 2018 SAS MEETING OBJECTIVES

 Input on guidance to the research portfolio

 Discuss FAA R&D program strategy

 Review and provide comment on the FAA’s recently released 

UAS Research Plan

 Continue to explore previously identified emerging issues and 

trends impacting needed safety research

 Commercial Space Transportation Research, Runway Friction 

Research, and the AIR Innovation Center Initiative

 Learning from Industry: MITRE, AVSI (Aerospace Vehicle Systems 

Institute), PWA / UTC (Additive Manufacturing) 

 Deep dive into Aeromedical topics including the Protection and 

Survival Branch and Bio-aeronautical Sciences

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2019 meetings: March 5-6, 2019 and August 19-21
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

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FALL 2014 - SAS EMERGING ISSUES

Real time system-wide safety assurance

Dependability of increasingly complex systems 

Certification of advanced materials and structural 

technologies 

High density energy storage, management, and use

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Reminder
FALL 2014 - SAS FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Commercial space integration with the National space 

system

General aviation’s role in safety systems 

development

Effects of breakthrough medical technologies on FAA 

medical certification standards

Identification and funding of strategic research and 

development

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Reminder