Effects of Acute Stress on Aircrew Performance: Literature Review and Analysis of Operational Aspects

Situational stress can adversely affect the cognition and skilled performance of pilots, as well as experts in other domains. Emergencies and other threatening situations require pilots to execute infrequently practiced procedures correctly and to use their skills and judgment to select an appropriate course of action, often under high workload, time pressure, and ambiguous indications, all of which can be stressful. Our current study, consited of three parts, starting with a critical review of the research literature on the effects of stress on skilled performance, going back to World War II and continuing to recent and more sophisticated studies of the cognitive effects of anxiety. In the second part we analyzed the specific ways stress may have impaired the performance of airline crews in twelve major accidents, selected for diversity of the situations the crews encountered. The third part examined the operational significance and practical implications of the findings from the first two parts, suggested specific ways to reduce the harmful effects of stress on flight crews, and identified aspects requiring further research. Even thought this study focused on flight crews, the findings apply to the effects of stress on the skilled performance of experts in almost any domain

Autonomous, Context-Sensitive, Task Management Systems and Decision Support Tools II: Contextual Constraints and Information Sources

Recent advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining and sensor technology have resulted in the availability of a vast amount of digital data and information and the development of advanced automated reasoners. This creates the opportunity for the development of a robust dynamic task manager and decision support tool that is context sensitive and integrates information from a wide array of on-board and off aircraft sourcesa tool that monitors systems and the overall flight situation, anticipates information needs, prioritizes tasks appropriately, keeps pilots well informed, and is nimble and able to adapt to changing circumstances. This is the second of two companion reports exploring issues associated with autonomous, context-sensitive, task management and decision support tools. In the first report, we explored fundamental issues associated with the development of such a system. In this report, we extend this work to focus on two critical aspects of these systems: 1) the constraints and conditions that drive the dynamic prioritization and presentation of data and information to the pilots, and 2) specific data and information to be accessed, monitored, integrated, and displayed in such a system

Autonomous, Context-Sensitive, Task Management Systems and Decision Support Tools I: Human-Autonomy Teaming Fundamentals and State of the Art

Recent advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining and extraction, and especially in sensor technology have resulted in the availability of a vast amount of digital data and information and the development of advanced automated reasoners. This creates the opportunity for the development of a robust dynamic task manager and decision support tool that is context sensitive and integrates information from a wide array of on-board and off aircraft sourcesa tool that monitors systems and the overall flight situation, anticipates information needs, prioritizes tasks appropriately, keeps pilots well informed, and is nimble and able to adapt to changing circumstances. This is the first of two companion reports exploring issues associated with autonomous, context-sensitive, task management and decision support tools. In the first report, we explore fundamental issues associated with the development of an integrated, dynamic, flight information and automation management system. We discuss human factors issues pertaining to information automation and review the current state of the art of pilot information management and decision support tools. We also explore how effective human-human team behavior and expectations could be extended to teams involving humans and automation or autonomous systems

Air Carrier Training Recommendations to Address Limitations of Pilot Procedures during Unexpected Events in NextGen Operations. Task 3: Pilot Needs Analysis

692M151940001This report is one of three from a Research Grant / Cooperative Agreement number 692M151940001 entitled, \u201cAir Carrier Training Recommendations to Address Limitations of Pilot Procedures during Unexpected Events in NextGen Operations\u201d. The related reports are also available in this repository.We present the results of a Subject Matter Expert knowledge elicitation study conducted with US Air Carrier pilots, instructor pilots, and evaluators through a semi-structured interview process. The goal of the study was to support or refute the body of research on pilot performance in responding to unexpected events presented in Task 2 from this research program. The objective of this phase was to obtain experts\u2019 input on the current level of pilot performance in line operations as well as what might be done to improve pilots\u2019 reactions to unexpected events. The analysis of the information elicited from the experts shows support for the concepts, procedures, and challenges of training to respond to unexpected events. The participant narratives were detailed in their descriptions of constructs associated with resilience and were in line with previously identified procedures, methods, and in some cases shortcomings of the pilot training as currently deployed. This study also suggests that more research is needed to determine how these constructs could be promoted during training in a way that elicits resilient behaviors during any unexpected events

Human-in-the-Loop Method to Test the Effectiveness of Training Pilot Responses to Unexpected Events. Task 4: Training Development Plan

692M151940001This report is one of three from a Research Grant / Cooperative Agreement number 692M151940001 entitled, \u201cAir Carrier Training Recommendations to Address Limitations of Pilot Procedures during Unexpected Events in NextGen Operations\u201d. The related reports are also available in this repository.This report provides a primer as to how to conduct human-in-the-loop (HITL) research in which pilots\u2019 responses to unexpected events can be explored for potential mitigations through training. The results of this effort conclude the following findings and recommendations: Identification of key independent and dependent variables for assessing pilot responses during unexpected events; recommendations on types of training interventions and measurable skills and behaviors that pilots may exhibit during unexpected events; recommendations for HITL scenario selection criteria and candidate scenario examples; recommendations for conducting a HITL; and a recommended performance assessment method for measuring pilots\u2019 behaviors during unexpected events. Research results can ultimately lead to testing and validation to inform FAA personnel who develop evaluation criteria for pilot tasks, skills, knowledge, and proficiency and incorporate this information into human factors related documentation

Relevant Research Assessment Concerning Pilot Response to Unexpected Events. Task 2: Relevant Research Assessment

692M151940001This report is one of three from a Research Grant / Cooperative Agreement number 692M151940001 entitled, \u201cAir Carrier Training Recommendations to Address Limitations of Pilot Procedures during Unexpected Events in NextGen Operations\u201d. The related reports are also available in this repository.This report provides a review of the existent information pertinent to the response to novel, unexpected, surprising, and/or unanticipated events, primarily focused on the context of aviation. The primary effort here is to identify ways in which to mitigate the brittleness of accepted traditional forms of response and to foster both adaptive and resilient response capacities throughout the whole of the operational systems. We have examined existing information and have assembled a series of definitions of terms and concepts, primarily revolving around resilient response. We look to knit these terms together and evaluate how the synthetic understanding can be used as a foundational basis for advance. This is a proactive perspective and one that looks to anticipate future threats to aerospace safety to counteract their more adverse influences. The work also provides the foundation for subsequent empirical evaluations of possible challenges by those experiencing unexpected events

Program Update and Prospects for In-Flight Simulation Upset Recovery Training

The Flight Research Training Center, established in 2002 in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, focuses on improving the safety of commercial air transportation through the reduction of the loss-of-control events, which continue to be the leading cause of fatal commercial air carrier accidents (Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group, 2004). The primary research purpose of this program is the optimization of in-flight simulation based upset recovery training. The goal of the training is to have a beneficial impact on the loss-of-control accident and incident rate. The program is designed to collect research data through an extensive training program offered to commercial airline pilots. To date, more than 235 commercial pilots have completed the integrated two-day program which includes classroom, aerobatic aircraft, and advanced in-flight simulation aircraft training on how to best respond to a variety of upset situations. This paper presents the results of the data collection and analysis effort for the FAAUpset Recovery Training (URT) program for the twenty-four month period from August 8, 2002 through July 30, 2004

The Application Of Human Factors Principles To Upset Recovery Training

Loss of control in flight was the largest category of fatal commercial air carrier accidents between 1994 and 20031 Loss-of-control accidents were also the leading cause of general aviation accidents in the United States in 20032 and these accidents have been on the constant increase for all categories of flight, including corporate aviation, for the past 25 years. In response to this issue, The Flight Research Training Center was established in 2002, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, to provide specific training for pilots on dealing with upset events that can lead to loss of control. This paper presents an overview of (a) current trends in upset recovery training and the efficacy of such programs; (b) simulator training and the concept of learning by doing 3;and (c) the application of human factors principles to upset recovery training. This paper also presents a training program that directly addresses the issue of loss of control in corporate aviation operations. The training protocol is multi-faceted, utilizes state-of-the-art in-flight simulation technologies and applies critical human factors principles to the process of preparing pilots to better deal with the unexpected

Human Factors Aspects Of Upset-Recovery Training

Loss of control in flight was the largest category of fatal U.S. commercial air carrier accidents between 1994 and 2003.1 Loss-of-control accidents were also the leading cause of general aviation accidents in the United States in 2003,2and these accidents have been on the constant increase for all categories of flight in the United States for the past 25 years. Statistics from aviation accidents and incidents from around the world echo the same theme.3 In response to this issue, the Flight Research Training Center was established in 2002, in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, to provide specific training for pilots dealing with upset events that could lead to loss of control. This multi-faceted upset-recovery training (URT) program incorporates state-of-the-art in-flight simulation technologies allowing a Learjet to simulate the flight characteristics of other types of aircraft. This paper will discuss (a) a model representing the cognitive process of surprise, (b) how an unexpected event can escalate to a loss-of-control situation and (c) an upset-recovery training program which addresses specific aspects of the model critical to a pilot\u27s successful response to an unexpected event. Relevant loss-of-control accidents from around the world will be reviewed, and practical applications of upset-recovery techniques will be presented with a focus on human factors aspects of the unexpected.]

A Human Factors Analysis Of The Current U.S. Notices To Airmen (Notam) System

We performed a human factors analysis of the format and dissemination of the Notices to Airmen (NOTAM; Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], 2002a) system to determine possible causes for dissatisfaction with the system. In the analysis, we utilized design principles developed for the FAA in the FAA Human Factors Design Guide (Wagner, Birt, Snyder, & Duncanson, 1996). The document provides guidance and information to those involved in all areas of the aviation industry for the design and evaluation of systems and equipment. This evaluation of the NOTAM system demonstrated that NOTAMs do not follow many of the basic human factors principles contained in the referenced design guide. Furthermore, analyses of NOTAMs based on the FAA design principles augmented findings from a survey (Hoeft, Kochan, & Jentsch, 2003) that suggested performance and satisfaction with the system might be greatly increased if human factors-based changes to the NOTAM system were implemented