Constraint-based Analysis of Aircraft Operations

Advanced technologies for on-board data recording allow the collection of increasingly sophisticated information during aircraft operation, reflecting decisions and actions taken by the crew, external flight conditions, and the behavior of flight systems. Such data, when subjected to a systematic and focused methodology of analysis, offers a tremendous opportunity for analyzing overall crew behavior, action patterns, and responses. To do this, we propose a novel analysis framework centered on the use of constraint-based safety models. In contrast to data-driven analysis techniques, we propose an approach in which aviation safety experts would define constraint-based models of aircraft operational safety, and then apply these models against recorded data logs to detect and analyze exceedances. Data segments that reveal deviations from the model are then submitted to specialized analysis components that attempt to infer general behaviors across aircraft crews, or across individuals, to assess correlations with the detected deviations. The resulting recommendations can be incorporated in training sessions, simulated flight experiments, and actual test flights, to improve overall safety of maneuvers and performance of crew actions.