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Required Text:
1. Alexander T. Wells, (1998) Commercial Aviation Safety, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New York, 2nd Ed.
Supplemental Material:
a. World Wide Web Sites:
Course Description:
Aviation safety for non-flying students. Major problem areas, program evaluation, impact of accidents on industry. Human factors, accident prevention, basic principles of investigation, case surveys of accidents. Not available to Aeronautical Science or Airway Science-Flight students.
Prerequisites: None
Course Goals:
The student will understand the psychological problems that must be overcome to manage an effective aviation safety program. The non-flying student will be able to identify the safety problems associated with the management of aviation resources.
The non-flying student will be able to design and learn the management concepts associated with the non-flying segment of the aviation industry.
The student will be able to conduct accident and incident investigations and determine the probable cause factors. The emphasis will be directed toward airline mishaps.
Performance Objectives:
During the course, the student will, to the satisfaction of the instructor:
1. Analyze the current economic and institutional context of the complex air carrier industry and evaluate the effects on safety.
2. Explain the evolution of Federal Aviation safety laws and regulations and describe their effectiveness in improving the safety of flight in air carrier operations.
3. Explain how safety is measured and identify the current safety data systems and describe their capabilities and limitations in measuring safety.
4. Identify the causal factors of commercial airline accidents and incidents.
5. Identify the types of human errors that are causal factors in aircraft accidents and explain what is being accomplished to reduce human error.
6. Identify the weaknesses of the Air Traffic Control system and explain how the NAS Plan will counter these weaknesses.
7. Explain the new air traffic system technologies and aircraft technologies and evaluate their effectiveness in improving the level of aviation safety.
8. Identify and state many of the safety practices and procedures that are used in aircraft ground operations to reduce the number and type of accidents and injuries.
9. Outline the basic procedures for aircraft accident investigation.
10. Identify the key elements of a safety program and develop a basic effective aviation safety program for a flying organization.
11. Explain the current major safety problems that confront the aviation industry.
Teaching Methods:
Class meetings will be comprised of lectures and discussions of assigned material which may include films, student presentations, field trip and testing for understanding. Class participation is expected with emphasis on aviation related applications.
Class Policy:
All students are expected to bring their text and appropriate note-taking materials to each scheduled class where academic honesty is the required mode of behavior. Assignments contained herein, and as augmented at instructor's discretion, shall be completed prior to class and shall be deemed late if not turned in by the following scheduled class period with appropriate credit adjustment. Assignments constitute minimim coverage of the required lessons and the student is encouraged to complete additional study within each assigned chapter to promote mastery of the objectives. Course content may vary from this outline to meet the needs of this particular class composition.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes where active participation in class is an integral element and will be considered in final course calculations. Should circumstances arise beyond a student's control which may force a student to miss a class session or portion thereof, all matters relating to the absence should be arranged between the student and the instructor, including making up missed work. Absences are particularly significant in this program due to the amount of material covered in each class. Thus students are encouraged to assist one another with missed classnotes and assignments.
| Area | Grade Scale | |
|---|---|---|
| Area Content Tests / Assignments | 50% | 90-100 A |
| Final Exam | 30% | 80-89 B |
| Safety Notebook / Paper / Presentation | 15% | 70-79 C |
| Class Participation | 5% | 60-69 D |
| Total 100% | ||
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Week #1,Session #1: Tuesday
Topic: Introduction; The Regulatory Framework; and Airline Deregulation.
Objectives:
1. The student will understand the course requirements and objectives and have an understanding of the impact and devastation caused by the crash of a major air carrier aircraft.
2. The student will learn the evolution of federal aviation safety laws and regulations; be knowledgeable of the current institutional framework for aviation safety; and understand the analyses of the FAA safety programs and impact of local regulations on airport use and development.
3. The student will understand the current economic and institutional context of the complex air carrier industry which is essential for evaluating safety issues and the Federal role in safety and the impact that deregulation played.
Assignment: Read Wells Chapters 1 & 2.
Week #2,Session #2: Tuesday
Topic: Measuring Air Transportation Saftey and What is Safety Data Analysis.
Objectives:
1. The student will become knowledgeable of how safety is measured and understand the current safety data systems, their capabilities and limitations in measuring safety.
2. The student will learn what is known about commercial airline accidents and incidents with specific emphasis on causal factors.
3. The student will be able to sketch an overview of how the 5-M factors of man-machine-medium-
mission-management intertwine in the causal relationship of accident analysis.
Assignment: Read Wells Chapters 3 & 4.
Week #3,Session #3: Tuesday
Topic: Human Factors in Aviation Safety.
Objectives:
1. The student will be able to identify common causal factors historically associated with human performance and human relationships in commercial aviation accidents.
2. The student will understand the impact caused by human error and what is being accomplished in attempting to reduce human error caused accidents.
3. Test over Chapters 1 - 4.
Assignment: Read Wells Chapter 5.
Week #4,Session #4: Tuesday
Topic: Managing Human Error.
Objectives:
1. The student will be able to describe how human error impacts an operation and how management methods can be applied to bring corretive action, system analysis, and prevention to the work place.
2. The student will understand many of the common practices and procedures recommended by the National Safety Council for the operation of aircraft ground servicing and support equipment in order to prevent damage to aircraft and injury to personnel on the flight line.
3. The student will understand the importance of, and the ingredients of, ground and flight safety programs for a flying organization. The student will understand how a safety program is developed, organized for effectiveness, and administered on a day to day basis.
Assignment: Read Wells Chapter 10.
Week #5,Session #5: Tuesday
Topic: Air Traffic System and Aircraft Technologies.
Objectives:
1. The student will examine the potential of technology to mitigate the stresses on the air traffic system and to improve its safety, including technologies or procedures that could increase or better utilize the capacity of the system.
2. The student will understand the Federal Aviation Administration rule making and enforcement activities for new aircraft technologies.
Assignment: Read Wells Chapters 6 & 7.
Week #6,Session #6: Tuesday
Topic: FAA Safety Inspections, Rulemaking and Airline Safety.
Objective:
1. The student will be able to describe the purpose of the National Aviation Safety Inspection Program and the role of the Flight Standards Office in the inspection process. The student will be able to describe how the rulemaking process has changed since deregulation and understand the major problems inherent in the rulemaking process.
2. The student will be able to list the requirements necessary to define an aircraft mishap as an accident or incident. The student will be able to discuss the importance of airline management's role in accident prevention and investigation.
3. Test over Chapters 5-7 and 10 of Commercial Aviation Safety.
Assignment: Read Wells Chapters 8 & 9.
Week #7,Session #7: Tuesday
Topic: The NTSB and Accident Investigation.
Objective:
1. The student will be able to describe the purpose of the NTSB and discuss the role of the Office of Administrative Law Judges. The student will be able to list and briefly discribe the steps involved in a major accident investigation. The student will examine several reports and identify the accident cause factors and discuss the NTSB recommendations.
Assignment: Read Wells Chapter 11.
Week #8,Session #8: Tuesday
Topic: Current Issues In Aviation Safety.
Objective:
1. The student will be able to identify current issues in aviation safety and how individual as well as corporate interests can be researched in this area.
2. The student will participate in a group oral presentation on selected aircraft accident investigations.
3. Current Events Aviation Safety Notebook or Aviation Safety Term Paper due.
Week #9,Session #9: Tuesday
Topic: Final Examination
1. A comprehensive examination of the material covered during this course.
For questions contact Instructor: E-mail.
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