Hazards and Risks
In aviation, both manned and unmanned, hazards are anything that has the ability to cause harm to the mission at hand. Examples of hazards are inclement weather, mechanical failures, human factors issues, physical features (mountains, trees, powerlines), or technology failures. All of these hazards have the ability to harm the aircraft, pilot, and mission.
Risks are situations where there is exposure to a hazard. Rick can be categorized into different levels. Alternatively, rick can be defined as the chance that the mission will be harmed by the hazard. A Cessna 172 flying 3,000 feet AGL above a forest is in a low-risk situation. The same Cessna with an engine failure descending at 500 feet above the forest is in a high-risk situation.
BVLOS operations
The FAA provides BVLOS waivers to applicants who demonstrate ways to mitigate risk for an operation. Along with details about the operation, UAS, and personnel, the applicant must provide answers to a number of questions in the FAA’s Operational Risks and Mitigations Questions (FAA, n.d.). The operator must demonstrate how the system will see/detect and avoid other aircraft, know the locations of other aircraft, yield the right-of-way, and avoid flying over/into persons on the ground (FAA, n.d.).
UAS Accident Rates
Human factors surprisingly contribute less to UAS mishap and accident rates that I expected. In commercial manned aviation, human factors can be attributed to 80 percent of aviation accidents and 20 percent to mechanical failures (Boeing, 2007). Research of military UAS has shown that 34 percent can be attributed to human factors and 66 percent to aircraft components (Wild et. al, 2016). Although it may seem that human factors are a much smaller issue with UAS, remember that UAS accident rates are approximately ten times higher than manned aviation. UAS are plagued by systems that aren’t as redundant as commercial aviation and RF communication issues are a significant contributor to accidents. As these aircraft component issues are reduced over the next few decades, human factors will account for a larger percentage of UAS accidents.
References
Boeing (2007). MEDA Investigation Process. Retrieved from https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_2_07/AERO_Q207_article3.pdf
FAA (n.d.) Operational Risks and Mitigations Questions. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waivers/waiver_safety_explanation_guidelines/media/WSEG_operational_risks_mitigations.pdf
Wild, G., Murray, J., & Baxter, G. (2016). Exploring Civil Drone Accidents and Incidents to Help Prevent Potential Air Disasters. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3421&context=ecuworkspost2013
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