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https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/events

Pilot Performance Assurance System Development and Evaluation

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.