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

Human Performance Risk Assurance through FAA–Industry Collaboration

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.