Aviation Safety: Efforts to Implement Flight Operational Quality Assurance Programs

00747622https://doi.org/10.21949/14031201997PDFResearch PaperGAO/RCED-98-10Aviation safetyFlight recordersQuality assuranceSafety programsBlack boxesFlight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) programsFlight analysisFlight reconstructionsUnited States. Government Accountability OfficeNTL-AVIATION-Aviation Safety/AirworthinessUS Transportation CollectionFlight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs seek to use flight data todetect technical flaws, unsafe practices, or conditions outside of desiredoperating procedures early enough to allow timely intervention to avertaccidents or incidents. These programs are voluntary efforts by airlines thatinvolve equipping aircraft with specialized devices to continuously record upto hundreds of different flight data parameters from aircraft systems andsensors, analyzing the data, identifying trends, and taking action to correctpotential problems. The analysis of flight data allows airlines to reconstructentire flights on the basis of the values over time of flight data parameters,such as heading, altitude, throttle settings, ground speed, and many others.At the time of this report, about 33 foreign airlines and 4 U.S. airlines-United, US Airways, Continental, and Alaska-have implemented FOQA or FOQA-typeprograms. This report examines (1) how FOQA programs will enhance aviationsafety, (2) the costs and benefits of such programs, and (3) the factors thatcould impede their full implementation and actions that could be taken toovercome any impediments. 42p.84