AUTOMATION IN GENERAL AVIATION: TWO STUDIES OF PILOT RESPONSES TO AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTIONS

This paper reports on 2 studies of pilot responses to autopilot malfunctions. Study 1 examined 4 automation-related malfunctions (runaway pitch trim up, roll servo failure, roll sensor failure, pitch drift up) and subsequent pilot responses. Study 2 examined 4 additional malfunctions, 2 more immediately obvious (runaway pitch trim down, runaway roll servo), and 2 more subtle (failed attitude indicator, pitch sensor drift down) than those in Study 1, and the effect of an auditory warning. Data collection was performed in an Advanced General Aviation Research Simulator configured as a Piper Malibu. Results suggest that maladaptive responses to some of these failures may, in a significant number of cases, lead to significant altitude loss, overstress of the airframe, disorientation of the pilot, or destruction of the aircraft. Percentages of successful recoveries, detection and correction times, and related indices of performance are discussed in the context of malfunction type, flight profile, and auditory alerts.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/21653673
• Corporate Authors:

  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Incorporated

  10 Industrial Avenue
  Mahwah, NJ  United States  07430-2262
• Authors:
  • Beringer, D B
  • Harris Jr, H C
• Publication Date: 1999

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 155-174
• Serial:
  • International Journal of Aviation Psychology
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  • ISSN: 1050-8414
  • EISSN: 1532-7108
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hiap20/current

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation; Aircraft pilotage; Automatic pilot (Aircraft); Automation; Data collection; Flight control systems; Flight simulators; General aviation; Guidance systems (Aircraft); Human factors
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00794586
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 26 2000 12:00AM