FAA wants pilots to be less dependent on computer autopilots
- Reference: 1669237211
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/11/23/faa_pilot_computer/
- Source link:
The guidance comes in the form of [1]an Advisory Circular , issued on Monday. It's directed at aircraft operators conducting multi-crew turbojet operations and at training centers and aims to avoid situations like the Asiana Airlines crash that cost three lives, and many more injured, after an inexperienced pilot stalled the aircraft on landing after ignoring "inconsistencies in the aircraft's automation logic."
"Flightpath management is especially important in operating airplanes with highly automated systems," an FAA spokesperson told The Register in an email. "Even when an airplane is on autopilot, the flight crew should always be aware of the aircraft’s flightpath and be able to intervene if necessary."
[2]
"This Advisory Circular provides a framework for operations and training programs. It will help pilots develop and maintain manual flight operations skills and avoid becoming overly reliant on automation."
[3]Boeing to pay SEC $200m to settle charges it misled investors over 737 MAX safety
[4]American Airlines reserves 50 flying taxis
[5]Australian wasps threaten another passenger plane, with help from COVID-19
[6]Actual real-life hoverbike makes US debut at Detroit Auto Show
According to the FAA, the advisory addresses requirements outlined in the 2020 [7]Aircraft Certification Safety and Accountability Act [PDF] (e.g. "facilitating better understanding of human factors concepts in the context of the growing development and reliance on automated or complex flight deck systems in aircraft operations") and [8]recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB advice follows from Asiana Airlines flight 214 hitting a seawall while landing at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, 2013, an accident that killed three passengers and injured dozens of passengers and crew. Among various findings from the accident investigation, the NTSB called for "reduced design complexity and enhanced training on the airplane’s autoflight system."
[9]
[10]
In its [11]accident report [PDF], the NTSB found the crew of the aircraft had been confused about aircraft systems and failed to adequately monitor the plane's airspeed in part due to "automation reliance."The report cites five factors in the crash:
• The complexities of the autothrottle and autopilot flight director systems that were inadequately described in Boeing’s documentation and Asiana’s pilot training, which increased the likelihood of mode error;
[12]
• The flight crew’s nonstandard communication and coordination regarding the use of the autothrottle and autopilot flight director systems;
• The [pilot flying's] inadequate training on the planning and execution of visual approaches;
• The [pilot monitoring's] inadequate supervision of the [pilot flying];
[13]
• Flight crew fatigue, which likely degraded their performance.
Yet even as the FAA is looking to ensure pilots can handle planes without automated assistance, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is pushing for more automation. The EASA has filed a working paper to develop ways for commercial airlines [14]to operate with a single pilot rather than two of them. The initiative, born out of cost concerns and crew shortages, necessarily entails greater use of computer assistance.
"HAL, land the plane. … Siri, why isn't HAL responding? … Alexa? … Cortana? … Anyone?" ®
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[1] https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/DRSDOCID102270064920221122142624.0001?modalOpened=true
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y36mCs63lIbjI6bHHYc78gAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/23/boeing_sec_200m/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/18/american_airlines_vx4/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/19/wasps_threaten_passenger_plane/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/16/hoverbike/
[7] https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Pages%20from%20BILLS-116HR133SA-RCP-116-68%20-%20Aircraft%20Certification,%20Safety,%20and%20Accountability%20Act.pdf
[8] https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/A-14-041
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y36mCs63lIbjI6bHHYc78gAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y36mCs63lIbjI6bHHYc78gAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/reports/aar1401.pdf
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y36mCs63lIbjI6bHHYc78gAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y36mCs63lIbjI6bHHYc78gAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/21/pilot_single/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Dum dum dum dum dum
A couple of points:
1) no automated system can be considered reliable enough for a single pilot/driver to operate any passenger-carrying vehicle (*) without at least triple redundancy and with thoroughly documented and tested abilities for any failing component to be automatically disconnected.
2) Would you trust any aircraft with just one pilot on board? Who monitors the robots if to sole pilot becomes incapacitated because they:
- get ill?
- get stunned by a gull or goose that smashes the windscreen and hits the pilot?
3) if the vehicle loses all electrical power or runs out of fuel, recovery often becomes at least a two person job, but you've only provided one.
* except a taxi or possibly rail traffic
Re: Dum dum dum dum dum
Die?
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/22/envoy-air-says-pilot-who-was-reported-incapacitated-during-flight-has-died.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-airlines-pilot-dies-william-mike-grubbs/
https://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/us/american-airlines-pilot-death/index.html
(Or, maybe stay away from American Airlines altogether??)
Inadequate descriptions
"The complexities of the autothrottle and autopilot flight director systems that were inadequately described in Boeing’s documentation and Asiana’s pilot training"
Boeing have a bit of a history with inadequate descriptions of automated systems in the 737 MAX wasn't the automatic stall preventions system inadequately described?
(https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/15/boeing_737_max_senate_report/
https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/23/boeing_sec_200m/
https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/27/boeing_fined_737_max_uncertified_hugs_sensors/)
Automation does have a place in systems, but the pilots must understand what it does, how it works, and how to correct any problems in flight.
Re: Inadequate descriptions
"Automation does have a place in systems, but the pilots must understand what it does, how it works, and how to correct any problems in flight."
Especially including, how to switch the
Air France Flight 447
Another example of a tragedy resulting from the interaction of automated systems and humans.
[1]Wikipedia article
The Airbus A330 is "fly by wire" and has several [2]flight control modes : "Normal Law" and two "Alternate Laws". These map the movement of the yoke or joystick into movement of the control surfaces.
A pitot tube was probably blocked with ice, returned the wrong air speed. The autopilot disconnected and transitioned from "normal law" to "alternate law 2". A human pilot took the controls, and to cut a long story short pulled back on the stick, causing the aircraft to climb rapidly, then stall.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_447
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_control_modes
Left Wanting
Unless it is spelled out in actually enforced regulations, the pilots performance will remain left wanting.
late again, as usual
sources inside industry told me after Air France event that airlines were running their pilots thru circuits in fully manually flown planes and discovering some of them were so dependent on computers they could not fly an ordinary plane. OTOH, some commercial pilots do the ultimate in handrolic flying, aerobatics.
Dum dum dum dum dum
> The EASA has filed a working paper to develop ways for commercial airlines to operate with a single pilot rather than two of them.
There is a reason most high availability computer systems have either active-standby or active-active configurations. Unless the pilot is just there for redundancy and supervision of a 100% automatic pilot, to me it sounds like a way to reduce costs (and safety).