Developing a Model to Predict Aircraft Maintenance Performance (original) (raw)

Investigating the investigations: a retrospective study in the aviation maintenance error causation

Cognition, Technology & Work, 2012

In this paper, the impact of human reliability on aviation maintenance safety is investigated. Its purpose is to explore the actual mechanisms of maintenance errors initialization and propagation and hence to identify requisite characteristics for future solutions. Aviation maintenance errors account for between 12 and 15% of the global aviation accidents initiators, and this proportion rises to 23% when serious incidents are included. A wider global exercise of aviation maintenance safety improvement activities is consequently required. The current research applies the human error risk management in engineering systems (HERMES) methodology that conceptualizes two main streams of study: a retrospective investigation into human errors within aviation maintenance contexts, which is the main subject of this paper, and an ensuing prospective innovation of new tools that work to prevent future errors occurring. An extended fresh inquiry and a deeper data-mining process were concomitantly conducted. A new model signifying the initiation, accumulation, and propagation of crucial maintenance human errors within aviation maintenance organizations is thus introduced. Rotorcrafts are taken as a focal case study due to the high criticality naturally associated with their structural and operational characteristics.

Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance

Human error is cited as a major causal factor in most aviation mishaps, including the 15% -20% that involve maintenance error. Errors can be described as active failures that lead directly to the incident, and latent failures whose presence provokes the active failure. Typical aviation maintenance errors are presented as examples and two approaches to human error reduction given: incident based and task analysis based. Each approach provides data on performance shaping factors, i.e. situation variables that affect the probability of error occurrences. Examples are given of interventions derived from analysis of incidents and from task analysis.

Eradicating root causes of aviation maintenance errors: introducing the AMMP

Cognition, Technology & Work, 2012

This is the second of two papers in the area of aviation maintenance safety enhancement utilizing human error risk management in engineering systems methodology. The first focused on the retrospective analysis of human error in aircraft maintenance, where the impact of human reliability on aviation maintenance safety was investigated. The purpose was to explore the actual mechanisms of maintenance errors initialization and propagation, with the aim of identifying requisite characteristics for future solutions. This second part focuses on a prospective approach to proactive safety techniques that can be applied to the field. It builds on the findings from the previous work and introduces a proposed Aviation Maintenance Monitoring Process (AMMP); an integrated process that is to be collectively implemented by industry to proactively monitor existence of human error causal factors. These factors are typically pre-initiated during design practices, manufacturing processes, or at later stages due to organizational, individuals, or workplace conditions within maintenance, repair, and overhaul organizations (MRO). As a result, such causal factors can be gradually eliminated. This generic AMMP is based on user software built applying the fuzzy Analytic Network Process (fuzzy ANP) theory, with a database of a communal total of 870 assessment criteria designed within the software. The full process is validated practically in real world within industry.

Capturing Hazards and Eradicating Human Errors in Aircraft Maintenance

Review of the Air Force Academy, 2015

This research paper focuses on specific issues of the aircraft maintenance environment and pleads for a systematic approach in managing human errors. With a continuously growing number of airplanes in service, the maintenance operations are becoming more complex both from increased complexity of the aircraft technology and from the operational perspective. Recent studies show that 80% of the aircraft accidents have as a main cause human error. Maintenance errors play a very important role in this percentage and this is why is significant for the industry to find solutions which can reduce their frequency. It is estimated by certain studies that for every flight hour there are attributed approximately 12 man-hours of maintenance [1]. The paper considers the importance of the maintenance in safe operation of the aircraft and highlights the related maintenance aspects starting with aircraft design phase and continuing with normal maintenance operations. A vital role in avoiding maintenance errors is a proactive approach consisting in identifying hazards in maintenance environment, investigating the issues and proposing solutions to avoid such issues to escalate in undesired outcomes as incidents or accidents. Finally, some mitigation strategies for specific risks in aviation maintenance environment are presented to eliminate and, were not possible, to diminish the human errors.

Issues That Precipitate Errors in Airline Maintenance

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting, 2008

Human factors in Federal Aviation Regulation Part 121 aircraft maintenance operations as they relate to technician performance are important factors that play a significant role in the public safety of air transportation systems. This paper reports on the results of an analysis of one thousand National Aeronautical and Space Administration "Aviation Safety Reporting System" incident reports for aircraft maintenance related issues. This paper identifies aircraft types, including systems, and compares events that precipitate human errors. Five high profile performance based error categories were selected for this paper. They include: technician qualifications, inspections, parts installation, contract maintenance, and log book documentation issues.

AN ANALYSIS OF JUDGEMENT ERRORS IN AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING CAUSED BY LACK OF AWARENESS AND COMPLACENCY WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENHANCE PROCEDURES

2021

While looking at Human Factors in the aviation and aerospace industry, there has always been a clear relationship between the technological assets that go into maintaining airworthiness standards, and the humans that upkeep these standards. Looking at airside operations in the field of aircraft maintenance engineering, there have been various incidents and accidents that have been caused by the influence of inadequate human factors considerations on aircraft maintenance personnel. With an understanding of the FAA's Dirty Dozen (and its impact in aircraft maintenance), this paper aims to highlight as well as analyze the link that human factors has on the personnel that ensure the continued airworthiness of aircraft all across the world, and evaluate how these factors can affect the effectivity and efficiency of maintenance operations/tasks. Through the course of this paper, there will be further insight to indicate various lapses in judgement due to the lack of awareness and increase in complacency of maintenance personnel, and indicate how it could've been avoided if more streamlined human factors procedures were implemented into line and base maintenance engineering.

The Influence of Human Factor in Aircraft Maintenance

PROMET - Traffic&Transportation, 2017

Human factor is one of the safety barriers which is used in order to prevent accidents or incidents of aircraft. Therefore, the question is to which extent the error caused by human factor is included into the share of errors that are madeduring aircraft maintenance. In the EASA approved aircraft maintenance organisation, which includes in its working system the human factor as well, the tendency is to apply the approach by continuous monitoring and analysis of errors in aircraft maintenance. Such approach achieves advance prevention or reduction of the occurrence of harmful events, such as accidents, incidents, injuries and in a wider sense damages related to aircraft operation and maintenance. The research presented in this paper is a result of gathering and systematization of errors caused by human factors over the last five years in one organisation for aircraft maintenance certified according to the European standards. The study encompasses an analysis of 28 (twenty-eight) inve...

Illustration of How Human Factors Affect Aircraft Maintenance Safety and Quality

2017

Human factor is one of the safety hindrances which is used as a part of counteracting accidents or incidents of aircraft. Therefore, the question is which degree the error caused by human factor is incorporated into the share of errors that are made at the time of aircraft maintenance. Aviation safety relies upon limiting error in all aspects of the system. Aviation maintenance and inspection tasks are sections of a complex organization, where individuals undertake varied tasks in a situation with time pressures, exiguous feedback, fatigue, workload and sometimes challenging ambient conditions. These situational attributes, in combination with generic human error tendencies, result in varied forms of error. In worst-case it results in accidents and fatalities. Maintenance and inspection errors have serious consequences such as air turn-backs, delays, gate returns, diversions to alternate air terminals and in worst case accident may happen. This will decrease productivity and efficiency of the airline operations and inconvenience on passengers. In this thesis paper effects of human factors on Aircraft maintenance safety and quality will be illustrated significantly.

Human factors in maintenance

AeroSafety world, 2008

This presentation is to be used to debrief the video, " The Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance " , and highlight the importance of the " Dirty Dozen " and HFACS-ME (Human Factors Analysis and Classification System-Maintenance Extension). This film was initially created to provide an example case for the " Dirty Dozen ". However, the factors described in this accident also need to be reported and further analyzed, along with past and future accident and incident reports, for possible trends that may lead to future errors, incidents, and accidents. HFACS-ME provides that capability. HFACS-ME's Framework incorporates all of the " Dirty Dozen's " elements and allows a method to further classify errors into a total of 34 separate categories. HFACS-ME, if used as part of an organization's standard investigation and reporting system, can more thoroughly investigate, report, and analyze accidents and incidents.