Pilot Failure Detection Performance with Three Levels of Fault Warning Information

摘要

A study was made to examine the feasibility of display and control concepts for commercial subsonic jet transport all-weather (Category III) approach and landing. The study was addressed primarily to fault warning. Pilot detection of autopilot and display system failures was examined with three levels of fault warning display information. Display failure detection and pilot decisions were additionally examined as a function of pilot task load, manual in one axis or automatic. A total of 702 simulated ILS approaches were flown by 18 commercial airline pilots in a Boeing 707-720B research simulator. Pilot/system performance and preference data indicated that the full annunciator display system tested was required in order to attain the best display failure and passive autopilot control failure detection. The failure warning utility of mode progress information below 200 feet of altitude on the approach was found to be inadequate. The data suggested that: (1) mode progress information be de-emphasized, (2) manual control of just one axis causes pilot fault-detection performance to deterioriate compared to monitoring full autopilot operation, (3) second failures following first failures which put the pilot into split-axis control were frequently missed, and (4) there is not enough time from 100 feet to landing to allow any complicated land-or-go-around decision process. Some general characteristics of fault warning displays were discussed. (Author)