A Case for Higher Data Rates

Flight data recorders required to support aviation accident investigations have benefited from numerous advances in recorder technology. These numerous technology advances for the most part have been directed at increasing the number of recorded parameters, improving the recording media, and improving reliability, maintainability, survivability and recovery characteristics. While these several aspects of the recorders have been improved, there has not been an associated increase in the once-per-second (1.0 Hz.) rate at which the flight data is recorded for accident analysis. This once-per-second rate has persisted in spite of the fact that technology advances could support much higher data rates, as demonstrated by rates of 20 to 100 data points per second (20 to 100 Hz) of current flight test data recordings. The need for a data rate above one data point per second evidently has not been conclusively established for accident analysis. While the aviation accident rate is rewardingly low, the aviation accident rate has remained stubbornly unchanged for the past two decades in spite of the billions of dollars invested for safety improvement. The following review of the accident data for the most recent ten-year period for which data is available, may provide some insight as to a potential reason for our inability to further improve our aviation accident rate. During the period from 1988 through 1997, the worldwide commercial jet fleet experienced 213 hull loss accidents. For 105 of these accidents, or 49% of the total accidents, the “flight crew” was listed as the primary causal factor. An additional 64 accidents, or 30%, listed “unknown” as the primary causal factor. These statistics indicate that nearly 80% of the hull loss accidents for the most recent ten year period are the results of causal factors for which there is incomplete understanding of exactly what problems need to be solved. Can there be a credible expectation for reducing the accident rate by 80% within ten years when 80% of the causal factors aren’t well understood? The intent of this paper is to demonstrate the need, and argue for the establishment of data rate requirements at least an order of magnitude greater than today’s requirements for selected parameters under particular conditions, and to describe the potential benefits that would be derived from the increased data rates.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Web
  • Features: Figures; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 1-8
  • Monograph Title: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Transportation Recorders. Transportation Recording: 2000 and Beyond, May 3-5, 1999, Arlington, Virginia

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01088088
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jan 30 2008 12:31PM