FAA FLIGHT TEST RISK MANAGEMENT

1. FAA FLIGHT TEST RISK MANAGEMENT Presented to: Flight Test Safety Workshop Melbourne, Florida By: Rod Huete, FAA Test Pilot John Hed, FAA Flight Test Engineer Date: May, 2008

2. Outline • FAA Flight Test Organization/ Mission • Safety Challenges as Regulatory Agency • Specific to type of certification activity • Generic • Accidents/Incidents • Flight Test safety / Risk Management Program • Flight Test Safety Database Demo • Conclusions

3. Organization Department of Transportation FAA Airports Air Traffic Aviation Safety Aircraft Certification Service Rotorcraft Directorate Small A/C Directorate Transport A/C Directorate Engine/PropellerDirectorate Regional ACO Regional ACO Regional ACO

4. Aircraft Certification Service • The Aircraft Certification Service is the FAA organization responsible for: • Certification approval of: • New and modified aircraft produced by U.S. Manufacturers (Type Certificates (TC)) • U.S. modifications to aircraft (Supplemental Type Certificates (STC)) • Validation of foreign certified aircraft operated by U.S. operators • Continuing airworthiness of: • Aircraft with U.S. TCs • Aircraft operated by U.S. operators

5. Aircraft Certification Office (ACO)Responsibilities • Flight test evaluation of: • Performance & Handling qualities • Systems performance (e.g. AFCS) • Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) procedures • Flight crew human factors • Approval of Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) • Assist in development of new flight test requirements, advisory material and guidance

6. TC Projects • Normally working with well established design and testing organizations (at least for the major manufacturers): • Experienced engineering staff in all disciplines • Excellent knowledge of products • Sound understanding of flight test requirements and advisory material • Experienced flight test personnel • Comprehensive procedures for flight testing

7. OEM’s Flight Testing • Establishes the limit flight envelope through progressive, incremental development • Specifically assigned project pilots (pilot and copilot) thoroughly familiar with test aircraft, special limitations and procedures, and status of aircraft systems • Handling pilot can generally concentrate on the test • Copilot can generally concentrate on monitoring aircraft flight and system status (in addition to ATC, navigation and other aspects) • Varied level of responsibility accorded to Flight Test Engineers/Observers • Manufacturer’s testing encompasses most required certification tests

8. New Aircraft Approvals – Safety Concern • Generally “end point” with little or no work-up • Simulators have not always been available to support certification programs • Limited use of telemetry • FAA pilot not as familiar with aircraft as the OEM pilot • High workload on: • FAA pilot; and, • Manufacturer’s pilot who has to monitor aircraft status, ATC and navigation, as well as test progress • Potential for mishandling at limiting conditions

9. STC Projects • Many display, cockpit or avionics upgrades • Conversions to glass cockpits • Enhanced vision • Synthetic vision • Electronic flight bag • Passenger to Cargo conversions • Passenger/Cargo to firefighting • Winglets and other drag reduction • Engine upgrades • …….

10. STC Approvals – Safety Concern • Little or no development flight testing • Applicant’s tests often not done by experienced flight test personnel • Generally the applicant’s pilot will not be a Test Pilot: • Will usually have a good operational understanding of the aircraft; but, • May not understand the need for the test • May not understand the test • Can be resentful • Higher probability of unexpected results during FAA certification tests

11. Validation Projects • For all major Transport Category aircraft to be operated by U.S. operators, FAA conducts a limited flight test assessment to: • Determine compliance with retained/unique FAA technical and/or design related operating requirements • Become familiar with the performance, handling and operating characteristics • Obtain sufficient knowledge of aircraft to support: • Continuing airworthiness responsibilities • U.S. modification activity

12. Validation Approvals - Safety Concerns • Low FAA crew proficiency in aircraft type. • OEM may have very different safety procedures. • Limited interaction with OEM so crews not familiar with each other. • Often language barriers • Procedure differences

13. Generic Safety Challenges • Unforeseen event (e.g. independent failure) • Pilot blunder (e.g. inappropriate control input) • Pilot misjudgment (e.g. landing rate of descent) • Loss of situational awareness (e.g. due to fixation with test) • Flight Test Engineer or crew blunder (e.g. incorrect airspeeds, incorrect config.) • Aircraft deficiency (e.g. incomplete or misunderstood development tests) • Continuing tests in adverse atmospheric conditions and/or inappropriate hours (e.g. due to schedule pressure)

14. How We Dealt With These Challenges In The Past • Safety process non existent as a formal process • No Flight / Test Safety Officers identified • Test safety dependent on individual test pilot / FTE • experience or “company” processes • Risk assessment / management frequently done real time • No collection / distribution of lessons learned

15. How We Now Deal With These Challenges • Created a formal safety process (FAA Order 4040.26) • Flight test safety officers assigned at ACOs • Formal safety training required • CRM, Survival, Physiological… • Sharing of safety practices and lessons learned • Safety meetings • Event reporting • Flight test safety database

17. Typical FAA Accidents and Incidents

22. FAA CERTIFICATION INCIDENT SUMMARY

23. FAA Common Threat Areas • Infant Mortality • Runway Environment / Obstructions • Lack of Confirmation of Applicant’s Test performance • Pre-test Airworthiness Inspection (Conformity)

24. Current FAA Flight Test safety / Risk Management Program • Organizational structure based on system safety model • FAA order 4040.26, Flight Safety Program • Flight Test Risk Management Process • Incident Reporting • Local Quarterly safety meeting • Flight Test Briefing Guide • Accident Response Plan

25. Current FAA Flight Test safety / Risk Management Program – Cont’ • Regulatory requirement for Risk Assessment • Initial and recurrent safety training • Flight Test Safety course • Crew Resource Management (CRM) • Flight Test Safety Database

26. Organizational Structure Flight Program Oversight Committee (FPOC) Flight Program Executive Operations Manual Flight Program Manager (FPM) Flight Program Flight Safety Officer (FPFSO) Local Operations Manual ACO Flight Test Manager / Flight Program Coordinator (FPC) Facility FSO * Facility FPC (Optional)

27. FAA Flight Test Risk Management Process • Risk Assessment required for all tests • Normally done by development of THAs • Done by ACO, or Part of acceptable company process • TIA signature authority raised to appropriate level

28. Incident Reporting/ Database

29. Flight Test Safety DatabaseUpdateAn Online Resource for Flight Test Safety Planning

30. Database Background • Great deal of ‘corporate knowledge’ out there but not documented and thus ‘dies’ with the owner. • Flight Testers are spread out all over the country. Everyone did safety differently. • Order 4040.26A required implementation of a risk management process that: • Identifies hazards and probabilities • Identifies/implements mitigating actions • Estimate and accept risk

31. Database Background • Joined up with NASA to develop an online database of flight test safety info. • NTPS contracted to gather FAA data. • Retrieve data from authorities and manufacturers • “Consolidate” it into master records for each test & hazard • Other groups formed to gather military, development and other data. • Icing, High AOA, Propulsion…

32. Database Status & Update • Substantially complete with FAA Part 23 & 25 data input. Working on Parts 27/29 (Rotary) • Continuing to gather military and developmental data • Continuous small interface improvements • NEW – Input module now online so you can input your own data or suggest edits of existing data. • Continuing to improve this with “offline” method also

33. http://pbma.nasa.gov/ftsdb/Home.aspxOn-line Demo Flight Test Safety Database

34. Flight Test Safety Database Summary • The matured THA database IS a wide array of test safety ideas and suggestions • But it is NOT an FAA-mandated solution • And it is NOT an auto-safety planning device • The matured hazards, causes and mitigations are necessarily generic • Your test will have unique problems and will require unique solutions • The THA database can be an excellent starting point

35. Conclusion • As a regulatory Certificating Agency we face many flight test challenges • Past experience has demonstrated that we are vulnerable to safety risks/hazards • We have learned from our mistakes • We are meeting the challenge by applying proven safety practices

36. FTSDB Home Page

37. FTSDB Login

38. FTSDB Main Page

39. FTSDB Home Page Vmca

40. FTSDB Results Page

41. FTSDB Combined THA

42. FTSDB Results Page

43. FTSDB Single THA

44. FTSDB Update Page

45. FTSDB New THA

46. FTSDB Single THA

47. FTSDB THA Input Wizard Summary