Analyzing Vehicle Operator Deviations

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute2008PDFTech ReportPounds, JuliaBailey, LarryScarborough, AlfretiaCivil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited States. Office of Aerospace MedicineCivil Aeromedical InstituteOklahomaUnited StatesAirport operationsHuman factorsRunway incursionsHuman factors in crashesAirport ground transportationVehicle Operator DeviationsHuman factors reportingJANUS-GROAirport Ground OperationsDOT/FAA/AM-08/17Runway incursions (RIs) are one of the top safety issues for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Considerable effort has gone into understanding how pilot deviations and air traffic control (ATC) operational errors contribute to RIs. In contrast, little is known about human factors issues related to vehicle operator deviations (VODs). VODs occur when a vehicle enters the airport movement area without ATC approval. We developed a VOD prediction model to help understand the human factors causes associated with different types of VODs. We then examined the validity of the model, using logistic regression and directed graphical modeling. Although the results of our analyses provided partial support for our prediction model, much of the data that we needed was missing due to incomplete reporting of the human factors associated with a given VOD. To aid in the development of a more comprehensive VOD reporting process, we adapted a human factors taxonomy used in air traffic control (JANUS-ATC) to ground operations (JANUS-GRO). JANUS-GRO was then used to demonstrate how VOD reporting could be improved.119