Essay Instructions: Maintenance Resource Management
And it’s Impact on Aviation Safety
Objective
Maintenance related error has been cited as a significant factor in the cause of numerous U.S. aircraft accidents over the years. The research proposed within this project will thoroughly examine the effect that MRM has had on commercial aviation safety since its implementation in 1993. Statistical data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be utilized to show mishap causes and trends within the commercial aviation industry both pre and post MRM implementation. In analyzing the statistical data, patterns and trends will confirm whether MRM has a positive or negative effect on commercial aviation maintenance reliability and safety.
Scope
The scope of the project is based on commercial air carriers and MROs within the U.S. commercial air transportation system parts 121/135 and 147. The bulk of the information for the project will be extracted from the FAA and NTSB data banks and related scholarly articles.
Methodology
A quantitative analysis will be completed by data mining statistical data from the FAA, NTSB and scholarly articles. The hypothesis is that there is a statistically significant difference in the number of recorded aircraft maintenance related mishaps since MRM implementation. Statistical data from multiple sources obtained and analyzed will either accept or reject this hypothesis.
Program Outcome #1.
Students will be able to apply the fundamentals of air transportation as part of a global, multimodal transportation system, including the technological, social, environmental, and political aspects of the system to examine, compare, analyze and recommend conclusion.
• The multimodal aspect will be addressed by examining other modes of transport to determine if aviation maintenance issues are industry specific and if other successful programs could relate to the aviation industry.
• The technological aspect will be addressed by examining the technological infrastructure that MRM training should employ such as formal training, training aids, mockups, training aids, etc. identifying areas where improvements could be made to enhance MRM.
• The social aspect will be addressed by examining the current MRM training curriculums and on-the-job practices and procedures. Different socioeconomic areas may require different training techniques to ensure material comprehension, intended effectiveness and eventual outcome.
• The environmental aspect will be addressed by examining MRM with regard to hazardous materials communication. Policies and practices that minimize the risks involved will be discussed.
• Political aspects will be addressed by reviewing the regulatory structure that controls aviation maintenance.
Program Outcome #2
The student will be able to identify and apply appropriate statistical analysis, to include techniques in data collection, review, critique, interpretation and inference in the aviation and aerospace industry.
Aircraft maintenance related mishap data will be collected for 10 years pre and post MRM implementation. The compiled data will then be analyzed using a t-test to accept or reject the proposed hypothesis.
Program Outcome #3
The student will be able across all subjects to use the fundamentals of human factors in all aspects of the aviation and aerospace industry, including unsafe acts, attitudes, errors, human behavior, and human limitations as they relate to the aviators adaption to the aviation environment to reach conclusions.
• The unsafe acts aspect will be addressed by reviewing some common maintenance practices and their related regulations and comparing that data to the collected data recommendations submitted by AMTs. Unsafe acts become hazards and can occur due to inadequate training or complacency. Gone unnoticed, the hazard becomes latent and if not addressed can cause serious consequences.
• The attitudes aspect will be addressed by reviewing data from AMTs with different specialties, experiences, training, and years in aviation maintenance. These devices will address attitudes towards MRM training received, if any.
• The errors aspect will be addressed by reviewing regulations and maintenance procedures to find shortcomings that may lead to potential errors in real world applications.
• The human behaviors aspect will be addressed by comparing and contrasting the maintenance habits of entry-level, practiced, advanced, and senior technicians.
• The human limitations aspect will be addressed by discussing how attitudes of maintenance personnel along with human behavior and their limitations can attribute to a maintenance error and possible aircraft maintenance related incidents.
Program Outcome #4
The student will be able to develop and/or apply current aviation and industry related research methods, including problem identification, hypothesis formulation, and interpretation of findings to present as solutions in the investigation of an aviation/aerospace related topic.
During this study, a qualitative analysis will be conducted to gather relative data of current MRM efforts, priorities, resources and corporate will and to identify shortfalls to be addressed for future improvements. The results of the analysis will either accept or reject the hypothesis that there is a statistically significant difference in the number of recorded aircraft maintenance related mishaps since MRM implementation.
Program Outcome #9
The student will investigate, compare, contrast, analyze and form conclusions to current aviation, aerospace, and industry related topics in safety systems, including systems safety, industrial safety, accident investigation and analysis, transportation security, airport safety and certification, safety program management and aviation psychology.
• The systems safety aspect will be addressed by discussing the importance of sound management and efforts to focus safety skills and resources into all phases of the safety system life cycle.
• The transportation safety portion of the study will examine actual recorded maintenance related safety incidents, the lessons learned from those incidents and what could have been done to prevent them.
• The safety program management aspect will be addressed by investigating and analyzing current successful safety programs and the organizational commitments required for their success.
• The aviation psychology aspect will be addressed by investigating and analyzing some of the most common conditions that increase the risk of maintenance related errors. Efforts to combat these conditions will be briefly discussed.
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