<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="https://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <channel>
    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
    <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <description></description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Air Traffic Controller Human Performance Assurance Framework</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778050</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires a systems-level understanding of how medical qualification, fatigue management, staffing, training, procedures, reporting, and organizational controls collectively prevent, detect, mitigate, and support recovery from degraded air traffic controller performance. These controls have not been systematically characterized as an integrated barrier system, limiting the FAA’s ability to assess their effectiveness, dependencies, vulnerabilities, and contribution to overall safety.

This research will identify the essential human-performance barriers supporting air traffic control operations and establish methods for evaluating and monitoring their individual and collective effectiveness. It will also determine how controller performance events and underlying medical, physiological, cognitive, psychosocial, and operational factors can inform continuous improvement and system resilience.

Results are required within 12 months to support the FAA Reauthorization Act Section 411 Aviation Workforce Mental Health Task Group. The resulting FAA-endorsed Human Performance Assurance Framework will support evaluation of controller mental health protocols, medical qualification requirements, assistance programs, and related Aviation Rulemaking Committee recommendations. The framework will enable transparent, evidence-based decisions about controller health and human-performance risks within the FAA Safety Management System.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:22:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778050</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>FAA AME Color Test Reliability Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778048</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will evaluate whether Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved color vision screening methods produce consistent, reliable, and scientifically defensible aeromedical certification outcomes. Aviation Medical Examiners may use multiple approved tests, but applicants can potentially receive different results depending on the test, device, or testing location. The effects of equipment calibration, maintenance, and other sources of test variability are not sufficiently understood.

The research will compare approved screening methods across devices and locations to determine their reproducibility and equivalence. It will assess how equipment calibration and device-specific variation influence test results and whether these differences materially affect medical certification decisions. The project will also identify actions needed to improve the reliability, consistency, and quality assurance of color vision screening.

Preliminary findings are expected in fiscal year 2028, with final results required by June 2028. The FAA will use the evidence to determine whether changes are warranted to screening policy, approved testing methods, Aviation Medical Examiner guidance, training materials, equipment requirements, or quality assurance practices. The expected outcome is a stronger scientific foundation for color vision screening that supports consistent and equitable certification decisions while ensuring that pilots can safely perform aviation tasks requiring accurate color discrimination.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:03:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778048</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>AI-Enabled Aeromedical Safety Assessment Decision Support</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778047</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will evaluate how artificial intelligence can support the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA’s) Aeromedical Qualitative Hazard Assessment Framework while preserving human oversight, scientific rigor, transparency, traceability, and regulatory defensibility. The framework provides a structured method for assessing how medical conditions, treatments, and operational mitigations may affect pilot performance and aviation safety, but its application requires substantial expert effort.

The research will identify assessment activities suitable for artificial intelligence (AI) assistance, including evidence identification, impairment-pathway mapping, operational scenario development, bowtie modeling, barrier evaluation, confidence assessment, and report preparation. Candidate technologies—including large language models, knowledge-retrieval systems, and automated reasoning tools—will be compared with expert-led assessments using representative aeromedical policy cases. Evaluation will address accuracy, completeness, consistency, reproducibility, traceability, workload reduction, and timeliness.

The project will also examine potential biases, failure modes, evidence-quality concerns, and governance requirements. It will define the human-review responsibilities, technical architecture, data resources, validation methods, and controls needed for responsible operational use. Deliverables will include an assessment of AI applicability across the framework, a prototype AI-assisted workflow and decision-support architecture, case-study performance results, and an implementation roadmap. The findings will guide future FAA investments while ensuring that AI augments, rather than replaces, accountable expert judgment in aeromedical safety decisions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:55:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778047</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Human Performance Risk Assurance through FAA–Industry Collaboration</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778046</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop an evidence-based method for evaluating how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air carrier, labor, and peer-support controls collectively manage aeromedical and human-performance risks. Current FAA aeromedical assessments do not consistently account for operator Safety Management System controls or establish when those controls can be credited as effective and reliable safeguards.

The research will define how medical, operational, organizational, and peer-support controls should be represented in aeromedical safety assessments. It will identify the evidence needed to demonstrate control effectiveness, determine how operator SMS processes may contribute to pilot performance assurance, and establish appropriate safety-assurance methods, metrics, and leading indicators for human-performance hazards. The research will also evaluate the potential safety contributions and assurance requirements of voluntary reporting and peer-support programs.

Preliminary findings will be delivered in fiscal year 2027, with final recommendations completed by the end of fiscal year 2028. The FAA will use the results to update its Aeromedical Qualitative Hazard Assessment Framework, develop guidance for evaluating operator SMS controls, support pilot performance assurance initiatives, and inform implementation of voluntary reporting and peer-support programs. The resulting framework will provide a more comprehensive and transparent basis for integrating aeromedical, operational, and organizational safeguards while identifying residual risk that remains subject to FAA oversight.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:49:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778046</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Pilot Performance Assurance System Development and Evaluation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778045</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop a repeatable Pilot Performance Assurance System method to support modernization of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aeromedical certification under Section 411 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. Current aeromedical evaluations generally consider individual medical conditions, treatments, or certification requirements without systematically accounting for the operational, organizational, and regulatory safeguards that also support airline pilot performance.

The research will define how these safeguards should be represented and establish criteria for evaluating their effectiveness, independence, reliability, and supporting evidence. The method will also provide a structured approach for communicating uncertainty, evidence limitations, and differences in expert judgment. Application to selected policy questions will help determine whether identified risks should be managed through medical certification, operational safeguards, or a layered combination of controls.

Beginning in October 2026, the project will produce an initial review and policy-case materials for November 2026 working-group sessions. By September 2027, it will deliver the completed model, assessment tools, case analyses, decision records, and draft findings and recommendations. Approved results will support the Section 411 report and future FAA decisions concerning aeromedical policy, guidance, procedures, analytical tools, and training. The project is intended to make aeromedical safety decisions more transparent, consistent, evidence-based, and responsive to the full system of safeguards protecting Part 121 operations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:43:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778045</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Aeromedical Oversight Performance Framework and Measurement</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778044</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop a performance-based framework for determining whether the 
Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) aeromedical oversight system is effectively managing safety risk across the National Airspace System. Existing approaches emphasize compliance activities and rare adverse outcomes, which provide limited insight into whether oversight actions are preventing complex, latent medical and human-performance risks.

The research will adapt the FAA’s broader oversight strategy to the aeromedical environment. It will define the populations and activities subject to oversight, clarify the objectives of the FAA’s regulatory, guidance, approval, surveillance, and corrective functions, and trace how these activities are expected to influence safety. Researchers will identify operational signals, data sources, outcome pathways, and indicators that collectively demonstrate whether oversight is working as intended.

The project will produce an aeromedical oversight performance framework, an implementation-ready metrics dictionary, and a phased integration roadmap. These products will support continuous monitoring, earlier identification of emerging risks, and more informed decisions regarding medical certification policy, surveillance priorities, and resource allocation. By making preventive performance more visible, the framework will help the FAA transition from measuring oversight activity to evaluating its safety effects and managing aeromedical risk as an adaptive system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:32:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778044</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Tipping-Point Analysis of Air Traffic Controller Impairment in Terminal Airspace Operations</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778042</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop and validate a computational model for assessing how cognitive impairment among air traffic controllers may affect the safety and efficiency of terminal airspace operations. Current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight relies largely on procedural safeguards and retrospective monitoring and cannot quantitatively predict how fatigue, illness, medication effects, or other impairments influence controller performance or aircraft separation.

The research will first construct a representative model of air traffic controller tasks using operational procedures, realistic traffic scenarios, simulation, and subject-matter expert input. After confirming that the model accurately represents unimpaired controller performance, researchers will introduce impairment-related changes in cognitive performance and evaluate their effects on loss-of-separation risk, conflict-resolution time, delay, and throughput. The analysis will examine whether safety margins decline gradually or exhibit “tipping points” at which relatively small additional impairments produce disproportionate operational effects.

The resulting model will provide the FAA with a reusable predictive capability to support safety risk assessments, fatigue risk management, staffing evaluations, and medical oversight policy. It may also be adapted to evaluate other human-performance factors, including training, aging, procedural changes, and new technologies. Findings will help determine whether current safeguards remain adequate or whether performance-based policy changes should be considered.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:19:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778042</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Implementation of Riley’s Qualitative Safety Evaluation Method for Pilot Impairment Risk</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778043</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop and demonstrate a standardized qualitative method for evaluating how medical conditions may affect pilot performance and aviation safety. The research addresses partial impairment, in which physiological or cognitive effects may degrade a pilot’s ability to perform specific operational tasks without causing total incapacitation.

Using the landing phase of airline operations as a bounded case study, researchers will work with airline transport pilots, aeromedical specialists, neuropsychologists, human-factors experts, and safety-management professionals. The team will identify critical cognitive and performance requirements, map potential impairment mechanisms to vulnerable tasks, and apply Riley’s qualitative safety evaluation method to construct explicit safety claims supported by structured arguments, evidence, assumptions, uncertainties, and confidence considerations.

The project will produce a fully documented example evaluation, task and impairment mapping, reusable templates, evidence checklists, and implementation guidance. These products are intended to help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Aerospace Medicine evaluate medical risks more consistently, transparently, and defensibly while supporting modernization of aeromedical policy and oversight. Following completion in fiscal year 2027, the FAA plans to incorporate the method into guidance, workforce training, and additional pilot medical-risk evaluations to assess its scalability and practical value.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:53:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778043</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>STPA-Based Risk Assessment for Mental Health–Related Aviation Performance Hazards</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2679033</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project develops and demonstrates a systems-theoretic approach for assessing aviation safety risks associated with mental health–related performance degradation among pilots and air traffic controllers. Current aviation safety frameworks recognize that many human performance hazards—particularly those associated with mental health—cannot be reliably quantified using traditional probabilistic risk methods, creating a gap in Safety Management System (SMS) risk assessment and oversight. The research applies System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) to model aeromedical mental health oversight as a sociotechnical control structure involving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  Office of Aerospace Medicine, airline operators, labor organizations, peer-support programs, and healthcare interfaces. Through structured analysis and stakeholder engagement, the project will identify hazards, unsafe control actions, and systemic contributors that may degrade the effectiveness of existing oversight mechanisms. The research will then develop a modernized control structure aligned with SMS principles, including improved regulator–industry interfaces, qualitative risk evaluation methods for non-probabilistic hazards, and leading indicators to monitor oversight system health. The resulting framework is intended to support more consistent, transparent, and defensible evaluation of mental health–related aviation performance hazards while enabling proactive safety assurance within the broader aviation oversight architecture.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:38:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2679033</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Safety Investigations and Root Cause Analysis at Airports</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772542</link>
      <description><![CDATA[When accidents or incidents occur on the airside or landside of an airport, investigations are typically conducted by airport law enforcement or fire department personnel. Studies supporting previous ACRP research and airport Safety Management System (SMS) gap analyses have found that while investigations generally document the events leading to an incident and its outcomes, they often do not collect the information needed to identify root causes and the human factors contributing to the event. Many airports, particularly those with limited staff and resources, lack practical guidance for conducting effective safety investigations and root cause analyses.

The objective of this research is to develop a guidebook for airport operators that outlines the elements and procedures for conducting effective safety investigations and root cause analyses. The research will provide airport leadership with the knowledge and tools needed to investigate safety incidents, identify hazards, determine root causes and human factors, and improve airport safety management. The guidebook will draw upon investigation practices used by organizations such as the NTSB, FAA, law enforcement, the military safety centers, and airports with mature Safety Management Systems, while providing a methodology that airports with limited staff can implement. The research should complement existing Safety Management System guidance and build upon previous work in that area rather than duplicate it.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:25:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772542</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Passenger Evacuation Experience</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2694524</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Data and information on passenger perspectives from recent aircraft evacuations are required to identify areas of success and needs for improvements. During the normal investigation of these incidents, the response rate to the office inquiry is low, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) does not collect these data points unless it is classified as an accident. These data are needed to evaluate passenger behavior, passenger flow,  experience with passengers with disabilities and children, and evaluate decision making on passengers choosing to take personal items with them. Alternate means of reaching out to passengers will be investigated to gather these data. Ensuring to document any challenges the passengers faced, points of confusion, injuries sustained, or aspects which made the process operate efficiently. Special focus will be on parents/caregivers traveling with children, passengers who have special accessibility needs or physical limitations, those traveling with animals, and those who evacuated with personal items. Research team will collect similar responses from cabin crew members, such as flight attendants, to gain their perspective on the evacuation event and areas for possible improvement. These data collections were recommended as part of the Emergency Evacuation Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:30:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2694524</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Naïve Subject Testing – Suite Emergency Passage Features</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2686617</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Applicants for type design approval are working to support their airline customers by installing passenger suites that include doors between the passenger and exit.  To install these doors, an exemption to 25.813(e) is required in which one of the conditions of the exemption is that the applicant must show the emergency passage feature (EPF) is simple and obvious to open.  Applicants achieve this showing by completing a naïve subject test.  The test method currently being used combines test parameters from the naïve subject test for evacuation specified in Part 25 Appendix J, the naïve subject test for life vest donning specified in TSO-C13, and the naïve subject test for floor proximity markings outlined in AC 25.812-1 and AC 25.812-2a.  The test method has several variables involved that are debated amongst regulators and applicants on how they should be controlled.  As a result, the test is run inconsistently, and variations in how the test is performed has led to an unlevel playing field amongst applicants, delays in certification testing by seat suppliers, and conflicting design approvals.   ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:17:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2686617</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Visualizing Pilot Medical Risk for Executive Awareness</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652034</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM) conducts quarterly safety assurance 
intelligence briefings to evaluate trends in pilot incapacitation, non-fatal accidents, and 
fatal aviation incidents. These briefings aim to assess the effectiveness of pilot medical 
oversight and identify medically related risk factors that may be overrepresented in 
safety events. However, despite access to rich data sources—including FAA’s Document 
Imaging Workflow System (DIWS), NTSB reports, toxicology findings, MarketScan health
data, and special issuance records—the presentation of these data has not effectively 
supported high-level decision-making. Traditional formats such as static charts and 
tabular reports fail to offer the clarity and cognitive immediacy needed by senior FAA 
leaders, limiting their ability to make timely, risk-informed decisions.

To address this challenge, AAM proposes adapting “patterns of life” data visualization 
techniques—originally developed in military and intelligence domains—to aviation 
medical oversight. These methods can dynamically represent high-dimensional, time and location-linked datasets, revealing hidden patterns, emerging risks, and operational 
outliers. The research will investigate which military- or commercially derived 
visualization approaches are most effective for depicting longitudinal trends in pilot 
medical risk, how to design these visuals for interpretability by non-technical executive 
audiences, and how best to contextualize comparative risk between pilot subgroups and 
the general population. It will also explore strategies for fusing disparate data streams 
into a unified dashboard—integrating sources such as DIWS, MarketScan, toxicology 
reports, NTSB findings, and AME characteristics—and examine the potential for 
embedded alerting mechanisms (e.g., risk thresholds, anomaly detection) to support 
proactive policy intervention.

Ultimately, this research seeks to transform how pilot medical risk is synthesized, 
communicated, and acted upon at the executive level. By enabling more intuitive and 
actionable insights, the visualization system will empower AAM’s Safety Council to better 
prioritize emerging threats, direct targeted oversight, and evolve the FAA’s approach 
from retrospective reporting toward predictive, data-informed safety management]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:03:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652034</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of an Aeromedical Safety Assurance System</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652035</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM) must establish a safety assurance capability to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) AVS Safety Management System (AVSSMS) requirements outlined in FAA Order VS 8000.367D. AAM currently lacks a systematic, evidence-based approach for monitoring whether medical risk mitigations, such as Special Issuance protocols, HIMS participation, and medication policies, are achieving their intended safety outcomes. Without a dedicated framework, AAM cannot fulfill its role in tracking the performance and effectiveness of medical safety risk controls across the National Airspace System (NAS), nor can it proactively detect shifts in risk level, emergent hazards, or unintended consequences of regulatory policy.

This research will define, develop, and validate a medical safety assurance framework tailored to AAM’s oversight responsibilities. The project will establish safety performance indicators, explore integration of aviation safety and medical certification data, and evaluate the application of advanced analytics (e.g., AI/ML) to monitor outcomes. Outputs will enable AAM to make informed, risk-prioritized decisions about oversight policy, improve cross-AVS coordination (e.g., with AVP), and enhance resilience to medical-related threats to operational safety.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:07:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652035</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Effect on Egress of Furniture in Egress Pathways</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2620734</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Cabin Safety Branch (AIR-624) requires validated methods to assess how new cabin furniture (e.g., obliquely oriented seats, business-class pods, lie flat seats) placed adjacent to aisles or emergency exits that affects emergency egress, ditching, and water survival outcomes. The research will (a) quantify impacts on individual and group evacuation times and behaviors, (b) identify injury and entrapment risks, and (c) develop objective test methods and acceptance criteria to inform certification guidance and updates to relevant policy. Deliverables are required by FY28 to support pending manufacturer requests for novel cabin layouts that may be in or near certification planning.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:59:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2620734</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>