Evaluation of an Approach Stabilization Advisory system in a B737 full flight simulator

BIB
Dehais, Frédéric and Cauchard, Fabrice and Rister, Frank and Cao, Yujia and Lacko, Ivan and Mikulu, Frantisek and Helmke, Felix and Osterloh, Jan-Patrick
Proceeding of HFES Europe Chapters Annual Meeting
Approach stabilization is critical for flight safety. Unstabilized approach has been identified to be a major causal factor of approach-and-landing accidents (e.g. off-runway touchdowns, tail-strikes etc.). In the D3CoS project, we conducted experiments in order to analyze pilots workload during approaches. Therefore 15 commercial pilots flew 4 different approaches each in a B737 full flight simulator. Geometry characteristics, winds and weather conditions were manipulated in order to induce unstabilized approaches. The pilot flying‘s eye gaze, heart rate and subjective data (NASA-TLX) were collected. Flight data were also recorded and aggregated with an algorithm to provide a stabilization performance indicator. Flight data analysis suggests that the scenarios were able to induce unstabilized approaches. Moreover, our results showed that only half of the unstabilized approaches were subjectively perceived as critical by the participants. Interestingly enough, a scenario at Dalaman airport was very efficient to induce unstabilized approach and elicited higher physiological responses, as well as higher Nasa TLX scores. The next step is to implement an Approach Stabilization Advisory System (AStA) that monitors aircraft performance/configuration and pilot’s behavior/cognitive state. When AStA detects potentially occurrence of an unstabilized approach, it suggests corrective actions to re-stabilize the approach or to go-around. AStA will be tested in the next experimental campaign of D3CoS.
10 / 2012
inproceedings
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Europe Chapter
D3CoS
Designing Dynamic Distributed Cooperative Systems
D. de Waard, K. Brookhuis, F. Dehais, C. Weikert, S. Röttger, D. Manzey, S. Biede, F. Reuzeau, and P. Terrier