Development of an innovative approach based on Situational Awareness in integrated aeronautical systems

There is no indicator light inside the aircraft that informs about the loss of Situational Awareness (S.A.) related to the human factor during mission performance. This concept is the leitmotiv of this project: trying to take a further step towards the genesis of what today can only be an imaginary indicator of the level of awareness on everything concerning the performance of the mission. The central concept is therefore S.A. contextualised in the aerospace landscape: that is, the ability to constantly keep the operational situation under control and respond effectively to the inputs from the mission context in the safest and most profitable manner. It follows that, in order to perform missions safely, it is appropriate to possess a right level of S.A. to what is required by the tasks to be performed. For example, in the aeronautical world, a landing phase will usually require a higher level of S.A. than a cruise phase. The question is therefore very simple: what is the appropriate ’level’ of S.A.? But the reply is much less so: to answer this, one would have to somehow quantify both the S.A. necessary level and the available level, updating both continuously. The difference between the two determines the ’lack’ or ’loss’ of S.A.: it is precisely this divergence that is the object of study in the procedure presented. Assuming that adequate S.A. guarantees a safe mission that does not require the analysis of events through the use of taxonomies, we implicitly find the necessary level of S.A.: that which guarantees a mission without unsafe events. Hence, if certain events or actions recall items within the taxonomic logic, it is very plausible that the S.A. has been compromised: the available level is lower than necessary. With this reasoning in mind, it is necessary to realise the logic through two powerful tools: the HFACS taxonomy and the new CRM model developed and used by Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force). The procedure involves a mode of action and feedback between the two models that will be made to communicate through special innovative interfaces in such a way as to provide two outputs: a more general one on the S.A. and a specific one based on the processes that have an influence on the S.A., according to the sixth generation CRM. The results will be graphed on a special radar diagram so as to make the imaginary “light indicator” feasible. What is presented still adopts a corrective-reactive approach, i.e. subsequent to the events to be analysed; the idea is to extend the procedure in the future towards a first pro-active and then predictive approach. However, there remains the possibility of corrective action through the implementation of process barriers, the result of various findings available in the literature. Finally, a practical application of the theorised model on two accidental events completes the analysis.