Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

5-2023

School/College

College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (COSET)

Degree Name

MS in Transportation Planning & Management

Committee Chairperson

Yi Qi

Committee Member 1

Carol A Lewis

Committee Member 2

Lei Yu

Committee Member 3

Gwendolyn Goodwin

Committee Member 4

Yachi Wanyan

Keywords

• Aviation • CFIT • General Aviation • Safety

Abstract

Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) crash is defined as an unintentional collision with terrain (the ground, a mountain, a body of water, or an obstacle) while an aircraft is under positive control. It is one of three high-risk accident occurrence categories identified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Although advanced technologies have dramatically reduced the number of General Aviation CFIT crashes over the past 20 years, CFIT crashes continue to occur and at least half of them were fatal. Therefore, it is quite momentous to identify the contributing factors and recommend countermeasures to prevent or mitigate CFIT crashes. This research will utilize the General Aviation CFIT crash data collected from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and pilots’ information from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to perform statistical analysis to re-veal the impacts of pilot-related contributing factors on the occurrence of CFIT crashes in General Aviation. Based on the analysis, technology-based and policy-level counter measures will be proposed to reduce the CFIT crashes in General Aviation. The research findings will help policymakers to better understand the underlying reasons for General Aviation CFIT crashes and update their current practices and regulations.

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