Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Pilot error”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Helmet Mounted Display symbology integration research

A five-week flight simulation investigation comparing screen/head stabilized Apache Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) flight symbology to world stabilized flight symbology is presented in this paper. Simulation test results indicate that pilots perform significantly (P is less than .05) better using world stabilized attitude symbology. They were accurate to an average of 1/2 deg at estimating terrain relief and aerial target locations. Pilots were able to take advantage of world referenced symbology due to the unique features of HMD that allow the pilot to visually use the symbology at extreme azimuth and elevation off-axis angles. Pilots preferred world stabilized symbology while performing contour flight tasks. They reported that the use of climb-dive-marker during contour flight greatly reduced pilot work load under conditions tested. A surprising number of cyclic input errors occurred when using both MIL-STD-1295 hover symbology and test symbology, indicating that a better approach for depicting hover symbology is probably warranted. The magnitude of cyclic input and spatial estimation errors increased as the off-axis viewing angle became larger.

Haworth, Loran A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Realtime mitigation of GPS SA errors using Loran-C

The hybrid use of Loran-C with the Global Positioning System (GPS) was shown capable of providing a sole-means of enroute air radionavigation. By allowing pilots to fly direct to their destinations, use of this system is resulting in significant time savings and therefore fuel savings as well. However, a major error source limiting the accuracy of GPS is the intentional degradation of the GPS signal known as Selective Availability (SA). SA-induced position errors are highly correlated and far exceed all other error sources (horizontal position error: 100 meters, 95 percent). Realtime mitigation of SA errors from the position solution is highly desirable. How that can be achieved is discussed. The stability of Loran-C signals is exploited to reduce SA errors. The theory behind this technique is discussed and results using bench and flight data are given.

Braasch, Soo Y.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Interface Consistency: Phase I Results & Phase II Status

Future exploration missions will rely on designing and developing vehicles and complex systems from within NASA and through multiple external commercial partners to meet mission goals. Despite existing consistency-related agency requirements, NASA’s approach to commercial spaceflight development encourages providers’ flexibility and innovation. This strategy is resulting in significant design diversity across Artemis vehicles. Design best practices and guidelines champion interface consistency to promote mental model development and knowledge transfer. However, research investigating the benefits of consistency is mixed, and little is known about its role in complex systems. Determining the level of risk that system diversity presents is difficult, as there is no established method for quantifying the degree of consistency within and across interfaces, nor is there information about the differential impacts of different types of inconsistency. Phase I of this project (Characterization and Measurement) served as a starting point to better understand the construct of consistency, its application, and the range of studies and methods for measuring it. The project team created a taxonomy of consistency to apply to interfaces as a framework to guide the development of tools to assess intersystem consistency. Checklist and cognitive walkthrough methods were developed for use by human factors (HF) and human-computer interaction (HCI) experts. The Intersystem Consistency Scale (ICS) was developed for interface evaluations with crew. A pilot study evaluated the methods’ ability to distinguish differences between Artemis-like prototype pairs exhibiting either high or low design consistency. In addition, click errors and time on task were collected within the ICS (crew-like) group. Results from our exploratory analysis and lessons learned from the pilot study will be discussed. The project team will also present the status of Phase II (Risk Assessment, Standards and Guidelines). This includes incorporating feedback to redesign the assessment tools, and inputs from displays and training Subject Matter Experts to update tasks and prototype designs. The team will present the risk assessment study design to identify the types and levels of inconsistency that pose the greatest risk to performance. Plans to apply these results toward agency standards and guideline recommendations will also be discussed.

Human-Computer Interaction↗
NASA NTRS2006

Helicopter force-feel and stability augmentation system with parallel servo-actuator

A force-feel system is implemented by mechanically coupling a servo-actuator to and in parallel with a flight control system. The servo-actuator consists of an electric motor, a gearing device, and a clutch. A commanded cockpit-flight-controller position is achieved by pilot actuation of a trim-switch. The position of the cockpit-flight-controller is compared with the commanded position to form a first error which is processed by a shaping function to correlate the first error with a commanded force at the cockpit-flight-controller. The commanded force on the cockpit-flight-controller provides centering forces and improved control feel for the pilot. In an embodiment, the force-feel system is used as the basic element of stability augmentation system (SAS). The SAS provides a stabilization signal that is compared with the commanded position to form a second error signal. The first error is summed with the second error for processing by the shaping function.

Hoh, Roger H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Prediction of pilot reserve attention capacity during air-to-air target tracking

Reserve attention capacity of a pilot was calculated using a pilot model that allocates exclusive model attention according to the ranking of task urgency functions whose variables are tracking error and error rate. The modeled task consisted of tracking a maneuvering target aircraft both vertically and horizontally, and when possible, performing a diverting side task which was simulated by the precise positioning of an electrical stylus and modeled as a task of constant urgency in the attention allocation algorithm. The urgency of the single loop vertical task is simply the magnitude of the vertical tracking error, while the multiloop horizontal task requires a nonlinear urgency measure of error and error rate terms. Comparison of model results with flight simulation data verified the computed model statistics of tracking error of both axes, lateral and longitudinal stick amplitude and rate, and side task episodes. Full data for the simulation tracking statistics as well as the explicit equations and structure of the urgency function multiaxis pilot model are presented.

Onstott, E. D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Helicopter human factors

The state-of-the-art helicopter and its pilot are examined using the tools of human-factors analysis. The significant role of human error in helicopter accidents is discussed; the history of human-factors research on helicopters is briefly traced; the typical flight tasks are described; and the noise, vibration, and temperature conditions typical of modern military helicopters are characterized. Also considered are helicopter controls, cockpit instruments and displays, and the impact of cockpit design on pilot workload. Particular attention is given to possible advanced-technology improvements, such as control stabilization and augmentation, FBW and fly-by-light systems, multifunction displays, night-vision goggles, pilot night-vision systems, night-vision displays with superimposed symbols, target acquisition and designation systems, and aural displays. Diagrams, drawings, and photographs are provided.

Hart, Sandra G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Simulation Test Of Descent Advisor

Report describes piloted-simulation test of Descent Advisor (DA), subsystem of larger automation system being developed to assist human air-traffic controllers and pilots. Focuses on results of piloted simulation, in which airline crews executed controller-issued descent advisories along standard curved-path arrival routes. Crews able to achieve arrival-time precision of plus or minus 20 seconds at metering fix. Analysis of errors generated in turns resulted in further enhancements of algorithm to increase accuracies of its predicted trajectories. Evaluations by pilots indicate general support for DA concept and provide specific recommendations for improvement.

Davis, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Human Factors Directions for Civil Aviation

Despite considerable progress in understanding human capabilities and limitations, incorporating human factors into aircraft design, operation, and certification, and the emergence of new technologies designed to reduce workload and enhance human performance in the system, most aviation accidents still involve human errors. Such errors occur as a direct or indirect result of untimely, inappropriate, or erroneous actions (or inactions) by apparently well-trained and experienced pilots, controllers, and maintainers. The field of human factors has solved many of the more tractable problems related to simple ergonomics, cockpit layout, symbology, and so on. We have learned much about the relationships between people and machines, but know less about how to form successful partnerships between humans and the information technologies that are beginning to play a central role in aviation. Significant changes envisioned in the structure of the airspace, pilots and controllers' roles and responsibilities, and air/ground technologies will require a similarly significant investment in human factors during the next few decades to ensure the effective integration of pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintainers into the new system. Many of the topics that will be addressed are not new because progress in crucial areas, such as eliminating human error, has been slow. A multidisciplinary approach that capitalizes upon human studies and new classes of information, computational models, intelligent analytical tools, and close collaborations with organizations that build, operate, and regulate aviation technology will ensure that the field of human factors meets the challenge.

Hart, Sandra G.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Handling Qualities of a Capsule Spacecraft During Atmospheric Entry

A piloted simulation was conducted to study handling qualities for capsule spacecraft entering the Earth s atmosphere. Eight evaluation pilots, including six pilot astronauts, provided Cooper-Harper ratings, workload ratings, and qualitative comments. The simulation began after descending through the atmospheric entry interface point and continued until the drogue parachutes deployed. There were two categories of piloting tasks, both of which required bank angle control. In one task category, the pilot followed a closed-loop bank angle command computed by the backup guidance system to manage g-loads during entry. In the other task category, the pilot used intuitive rules to determine the desired bank angle independently, based on an open-loop schedule of vertical speed, Mach, and total energy specified at several range-to-target gates along the entry trajectory. Pilots were able to accurately track the bank angle guidance commands and steered the capsule toward the recovery site with essentially the same range error as the benchmark autopilot trajectory albeit with substantially higher propellant usage, and the handling qualities for this task were satisfactory. Another key result was that the complex piloting task of atmospheric entry could be performed satisfactorily, even in the presence of large dispersions, by controlling bank angle to follow a simple open-loop schedule.

Bilimoria, Karl D.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Preliminary Effect of Synthetic Vision Systems Displays to Reduce Low-Visibility Loss of Control and Controlled Flight Into Terrain Accidents

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effectiveness of Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) flight displays as a means of eliminating Low Visibility Loss of Control (LVLOC) and Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents by low time general aviation (GA) pilots. A series of basic maneuvers were performed by 18 subject pilots during transition from Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) to Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), with continued flight into IMC, employing a fixed-based flight simulator. A total of three display concepts were employed for this evaluation. One display concept, referred to as the Attitude Indicator (AI) replicated instrumentation common in today's General Aviation (GA) aircraft. The second display concept, referred to as the Electronic Attitude Indicator (EAI), featured an enlarged attitude indicator that was more representative of a glass display that also included advanced flight symbology, such as a velocity vector. The third concept, referred to as the SVS display, was identical to the EAI except that computer-generated terrain imagery replaced the conventional blue-sky/brown-ground of the EAI. Pilot performance parameters, pilot control inputs and physiological data were recorded for post-test analysis. Situation awareness (SA) and qualitative pilot comments were obtained through questionnaires and free-form interviews administered immediately after the experimental session. Initial pilot performance data were obtained by instructor pilot observations. Physiological data (skin temperature, heart rate, and muscle flexure) were also recorded. Preliminary results indicate that far less errors were committed when using the EAI and SVS displays than when using conventional instruments. The specific data example examined in this report illustrates the benefit from SVS displays to avoid massive loss of SA conditions. All pilots acknowledged the enhanced situation awareness provided by the SVS display concept. Levels of pilot stress appear to be correlated with skin temperature measurements.

Glaab, Louis J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Evaluation of tactual displays for flight control

Manual tracking experiments were conducted to determine the suitability of tactual displays for presenting flight-control information in multitask situations. Although tracking error scores are considerably greater than scores obtained with a continuous visual display, preliminary results indicate that inter-task interference effects are substantially less with the tactual display in situations that impose high visual scanning workloads. The single-task performance degradation found with the tactual display appears to be a result of the coding scheme rather than the use of the tactual sensory mode per se. Analysis with the state-variable pilot/vehicle model shows that reliable predictions of tracking errors can be obtained for wide-band tracking systems once the pilot-related model parameters have been adjusted to reflect the pilot-display interaction.

Levison, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Human factors in aviation

The fundamental principles of human-factors (HF) analysis for aviation applications are examined in a collection of reviews by leading experts, with an emphasis on recent developments. The aim is to provide information and guidance to the aviation community outside the HF field itself. Topics addressed include the systems approach to HF, system safety considerations, the human senses in flight, information processing, aviation workloads, group interaction and crew performance, flight training and simulation, human error in aviation operations, and aircrew fatigue and circadian rhythms. Also discussed are pilot control; aviation displays; cockpit automation; HF aspects of software interfaces; the design and integration of cockpit-crew systems; and HF issues for airline pilots, general aviation, helicopters, and ATC.

Wiener, Earl L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development of a climatological data base to help forecast cloud cover conditions for shuttle landings at the Kennedy Space Center

The Space Shuttle is an extremely weather sensitive vehicle with very restrictive constraints for both launches and landings. The most important difference between Shuttle and normal aircraft landings is that the Shuttle has no go-around capability once it begins its decent into the earth's atmosphere. The de-orbit burn decision is generally made approximately 90 minutes before landing requiring a forecast with little room for error. Because of the Shuttle's rapid re-entry to earth, the pilot must be able to see all runway and visual navigation aids from high altitude to land the Shuttle. In addition, the heat resistant tiles which are used to protect the Shuttle during its re-entry into the earth's atmosphere are extremely sensitive to any type of precipitation. Extensive damage to these tiles could occur if the Shuttle passes through any cloud that contains precipitation size particles. To help guard against changing weather conditions or any type of weather problems that might occur prior to landing, flight rules have been developed as guidelines for all landings. Although the rules vary depending on the location of the landing (Kennedy Space Center or Edwards AFB), length of mission, and weight of vehicle, most of the rules can be condensed into 4 major groupings. These are: (1) Cloud ceilings should not be less than 3048 m (10,000 feet), (2) Visibility should not be less than 13 km (7 nm), (3) Cross-wind no greater than 5-8 m/s (10-15 knots); and (4) No showers or thunderstorms at or within 56 km (30 nm) of the Shuttle Landing Facility. This study consisted of developing a climatological database of the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) surface observations and performing an analysis of observed conditions one and two hours subsequent to given conditions at the SLF to help analyze the 0.2 cloud cover rule. Particular emphasis was placed on Shuttle landing weather violations and the amounts of cloud cover below 3048 m (10,000 ft.). This analysis has helped to determine the best and worst times to land the Shuttle at KSC. In addition, nomograms have been developed to help forecasters make cloud cover forecasts for End of Mission (EOM) and Return to Launch Site (RTLS) at KSC. Results of categorizing this data by month, season, time of day, and surface and upper-air wind direction are presented.

Atchison, M. Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1981

Some effects of Field Of View (FOV) and target size on lateral tracking at hover

An exploratory flight-simulator experiment examined the gross effects of several factors potentially important to the design of a visual display system for aiding VTOL pilots in the difficult task of landing on a small sea-control ship. Field of view (FOV) and target size were the primary variables examined for a lateral tracking task in a full motion 5 degree-of-freedom hover simulation. The mean absolute value of tracking error was used to measure tracking performance, and cross spectral transfer function analysis was performed to determine the pilot's ability to generate good open-loop transfer function characteristics as a function of the experimental variables. It was found that FOV and target size can have a large effect on the pilot's ability to generate open-loop gain, and on his tracking performance.

Breul, H. T.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Enhanced Oceanic Operations Human-In-The-Loop In-Trail Procedure Validation Simulation Study

The Enhanced Oceanic Operations Human-In-The-Loop In-Trail Procedure (ITP) Validation Simulation Study investigated the viability of an ITP designed to enable oceanic flight level changes that would not otherwise be possible. Twelve commercial airline pilots with current oceanic experience flew a series of simulated scenarios involving either standard or ITP flight level change maneuvers and provided subjective workload ratings, assessments of ITP validity and acceptability, and objective performance measures associated with the appropriate selection, request, and execution of ITP flight level change maneuvers. In the majority of scenarios, subject pilots correctly assessed the traffic situation, selected an appropriate response (i.e., either a standard flight level change request, an ITP request, or no request), and executed their selected flight level change procedure, if any, without error. Workload ratings for ITP maneuvers were acceptable and not substantially higher than for standard flight level change maneuvers, and, for the majority of scenarios and subject pilots, subjective acceptability ratings and comments for ITP were generally high and positive. Qualitatively, the ITP was found to be valid and acceptable. However, the error rates for ITP maneuvers were higher than for standard flight level changes, and these errors may have design implications for both the ITP and the study's prototype traffic display. These errors and their implications are discussed.

Murdoch, Jennifer L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Simulation study of traffic-sensor noise effects on utilization of traffic situation display for self-spacing task

The effect of traffic sensor noise on the ability of a pilot to perform an intrail spacing task was determined. The tests were conducted in a fixed base cockpit simulator configured as a current generation transport aircraft, with an electronic traffic display provided in the weather radarscope location. The true positions of the traffic were perturbed in both relative range and azimuth by random errors to simulate traffic sensor noise associated with an onboard sensor. The evaluation task involved simulated instrument approaches into a terminal area while maintaining self separation on a lead aircraft. Separation performance data and pilot subjective ratings and comments were obtained. The results of the separation data indicate that displayed traffic position errors, having standard deviation values up to 0.3-n.mi. range and 8 deg azimuth, had negligible effect on the spacing performance achieved by the pilots. Speed profiles of the lead aircraft, display of the lead aircraft groundspeed, and individual pilot techniques were found to significantly affect the mean spacing performance.

Williams, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS2005

SATS HVO Concept Validation Experiment

A human-in-the-loop simulation experiment was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center s (LaRC) Air Traffic Operations Lab (ATOL) in an effort to comprehensively validate tools and procedures intended to enable the Small Aircraft Transportation System, Higher Volume Operations (SATS HVO) concept of operations. The SATS HVO procedures were developed to increase the rate of operations at non-towered, non-radar airports in near all-weather conditions. A key element of the design is the establishment of a volume of airspace around designated airports where pilots accept responsibility for self-separation. Flights operating at these airports, are given approach sequencing information computed by a ground based automated system. The SATS HVO validation experiment was conducted in the ATOL during the spring of 2004 in order to determine if a pilot can safely and proficiently fly an airplane while performing SATS HVO procedures. Comparative measures of flight path error, perceived workload and situation awareness were obtained for two types of scenarios. Baseline scenarios were representative of today s system utilizing procedure separation, where air traffic control grants one approach or departure clearance at a time. SATS HVO scenarios represented approaches and departure procedures as described in the SATS HVO concept of operations. Results from the experiment indicate that low time pilots were able to fly SATS HVO procedures and maintain self-separation as safely and proficiently as flying today's procedures.

Consiglio, Maria↗
NASA NTRS1980

A study of stall deterrent systems for general aviation aircraft

Stall deterrent concepts for general aviation aircraft have been investigated using simulation studies and flight test experiments. It was found that the simulator was suitable for the development of deterrent system concepts, but the simulator was unacceptable for pilot evaluation of system effectiveness under typical stall/spin accident conditions. A Cessna 319 was outfitted with sensors, servoactuators, and analog control logic necessary to investigate a wide range of stall deterrent systems. It was found that an acoustic stall sensor and an error control law were sufficient for stall deterrence. The pitch intervention control system prevented aircraft stall for all aircraft configurations and pilot inputs. The variable up elevator stop concept was found to be effective for slow decelerations to aircraft stall. The stall deterrent systems were evaluated by four professional pilots and three low time pilots.

Bennett, A. G.↗