Proposed Capstone Topic

XXXXX

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Proposed Topic: Aviation safety data sharing.

What is the significance of your proposed topic? Shared aviation safety data can be aggregated and analyzed and the results used to enhance safety. In an effort to promote an open exchange of safety information to continuously improve aviation safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the aviation industry developed the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS)program. ASIAS has drawn together a wide variety of safety data and information sources across Government and industry, including voluntarily provided safety data. Confidentiality and non-punitive reporting are foundational values of ASIAS. Data is gathered from participants, then de-identified. This has encouraged participation in the program. Participants include Part 121 member air carriers, corporate/business operators, universities, manufacturers, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul organizations. In the example to follow aviation safety data sharing helped solve a problem; In the course of a routine inspection, Airline C discovered a cracked engine mounting bolt that could have led to an overstress of the engine mounting and an in-flight loss of the engine. A check of incident reports on a safety information sharing system in which the airline participated revealed that two other operators had experienced the same problem and had concluded that the procedure for engine removal and replacement had the potential to overstress the mounting bolt if the engine was misaligned during replacement. These airlines had devised and adopted a different procedure for engine removal and replacement that avoided the potential problem. Airline C then adopted the new procedure and notified other operators of the same equipment participating in the safety information sharing system of the potential problem. 

What are you trying to do with the capstone? Knowing the importance and benefits of sharing aviation safety data helps promote and encourage data sharing to improve safety and mitigate risks in aviation. The benefits derived from sharing safety information depend on the nature of the information that is shared. To be useful, it is necessary for an airline or participant to be able to tell whether the circumstances that generated the information being shared are relevant to its operations. If data shared is useful and relevant it can be used for proactive safety measures to prevent similar occurrences. 

Are the resources available to do a substantial literature review? Do I need special permission to use these resources? There are enough resources are available from the FAA, IATA, Flight Safety to mention but a few and I do not need special permission to use them.

Hypothesis

Null hypothesis: Safety data sharing has not benefited aviation safety

Alternative hypothesis: Safety data sharing has benefited aviation safety

References

(2021). Retrieved 21 January 2021, from https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=23036.

Flightsafety.org. (2021). Retrieved 21 January 2021, from https://flightsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/automated_systems.pdf.

Sharing Aviation Safety Data Is a Good Thing: NBAA – National Business Aviation Association. (2017, June 5). https://nbaa.org/aircraft-operations/safety/statistics/sharing-aviation-safety-data-good-thing/.

NB

How can this benefit third world countries like Uganda?

Attached is a template for the proposal for specialization outcome refer to Aviation Aerospace Operations and Aviation Aerospace Safety Systems