Aviation Maintenance Management

All repair and supply activities were subject to detailed tracking in two separate databases Aviation Computerized Maintenance System (ACMS) and Aviation Maintenance Management System (AMMIS). The ACMS database tracks all individual parts installed on individual aircraft, flags the required maintenance, and records the history of repairs using each part s unique serial number. The AMMIS database in contrast tracks every step of the process once the part comes off the aircraft. It tracks demand requisitions (orders) placed to the warehouse, and the shipment of good parts to the air stations and maintenance facility, as well as the receipt of failed parts (carcasses), their shipment to vendors or in-house for repair, and their induction back into the system. Historically, there was no connection between the AMMIS and ACMS systems, and there was no advance information regarding impending demands or repair lead times. 

The current research adopts the Human Error Risk Management in Engineering Systems (HERMES) methodology (Cacciabue 2004a,b) that conceptualizes two main streams of study. These are a Retrospective investigation of human errors within aviation maintenance contexts, focused in this research - on helicopters, and a Prospective innovation of new tools that work to prevent errors occurring. 

Human factors errors within aviation maintenance industry can be more effectively managed by applying proactive monitoring and early error detecting techniques at both organizational and individual levels ... 

Edwards C. 2007. Human Factors in the Maintenance Environment the case for compliance monitoring. Report for the Human Factors Programme, Aviation Hazard Management Ltd. Hampton Wick. UK. 

Hall, David. 2005. The role of human factors training and error management in the aviation maintenance safety system. 58th Joint Meeting of the Flight Safety Foundation, 58th Annual IntemationalAir Safety Seminar (IASS). Moscow. November 2005. FSF 245—250. 

Rising use of contract maintenance. While there is little or no statistical evidence linking contractor use to higher accident rates in aviation, some anecdotal evidence (such as the involvement of contractor maintenance workers in the accident at the former Valujet see for example Langewiesche, 1998) has resulted in increased levels of concern. The OTA (1988, pg. 107) notes that Contract maintenance, by its nature, is not as easy as in-house work to monitor and manage. Concerns have also been raised about the impact of contract workers on safety in the petrochemical and mining industries (see for example Wells et al., 1991 Kochan et al., 1994 Rebitzer, 1995 Rousseau and Libuser, 1997). 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) As part of its functions, FAA fosters aviation safety through several activities. It issues and enforces regulations and standards for the manufacture, use, and maintenance of aircraft. It certifies pilots, other flight personnel and airports, operates and maintains air navigation systems, manages air traffic, and conducts research in systems, procedures, facilities, and devices to ensure aviation safety. 

From this graph it can be seen that the global air transportation induced emissions will increase by a factor of five in 45 years time, if not reacted upon adequately. Multiple initiatives, such as Europe s Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE) [12], have been started to reduce environmental impact, which besides CO2 also consists of NOx emissions, perceived noise, and the environmental impact caused by aircraft manufacturing, maintenance and disposal [10]. In order to anticipate on this, companies involved in the aviation industry should strive for improvement of the efficiency of aircraft and engines, and improve the aircraft lifecycle and current Air Traffic Management system. 

Vocational schools and some two-year colleges train students with specialized skills in airframe construction, power-plant development and testing, maintenance, avionics, and other assorted disciplines applicable to both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Four-year colleges and universities incorporate some aspects of these programs but concentrate on the management side of the aviation industry. 

Because so much of aviation is controlled by people, human factor analysis tools are at the heart of the aviation industry. Different types of human factors analyses are used in air navigation, such as air traffic control, crew resource management in the cockpit, and even appropriate design and maintenance of aircraft systems. Fault tree analysis, fault hazard analysis, FMEA, and different probabilistic risk tools are also used in the detailed design of safety critical subsystems. 

Jim Reason has written books on absent-mindedness, human error, aviation human factors, managing the risks of organizational accidents and managing maintenance error. Since 2000 his primary focus has been patient safety. Viewed at www.saferhealthcare.org.uk. 

---