Air safety data analysis

The Safety Institute offers a wide variety of air safety data analysis capabilities based on its long experience in this field and the extensive NLR-ATSI Air Safety Database. Two main areas are distinguished:

Accident/incident data analysis;
Flight data analysis.

Accident/incident data analysis
The Safety Institute maintains a large database with data related to aviation safety. Air safety data are all data that characterise activities of the air transport system. The NLR-ATSI Air Safety Database contains detailed information on accidents and incidents of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters from 1960 onwards. Currently the Air Safety Database contains information on more than 37,000 accidents and serious incidents that occurred worldwide.

In addition to data on accidents and serious incidents the database also contains over 310,000 commercial airline safety reports for both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Furthermore, the Air Safety Dababase contains a large collection of worldwide non-accident related data, including airport databases, flight exposure data (hours & flights at the level of airlines, aircraft type, and airports), weather data, fleet data, and more. The Air Safety Database is updated frequently using reliable sources including data from official reporting systems, insurance claims, accident investigation boards, aircraft manufacturers, and civil aviation authorities.

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A real unique feature of the Air Safety Database is that all the different data sources can be related. This allows quantifying the share of a factor in non-accident data that also was present in an accident. As such the significance of the factor contributing to accidents can be determined. For instance: if one wants to know what risk is involved in flight operations on wet runways the number of accidents on wet runways and the number of operations on wet runways that did not result in an accident should be known. When these numbers are related to the accidents and operations on non-wet runways, the risk of operating on a wet runway can be determined. The Air Safety Database allows such an analysis to be conducted.

The Safety Institute has gained valuable experience in analysing safety data, and has acquired significant knowledge regarding data quality issues and statistical pitfalls, through the use of its database. The Air Safety Database has been used many times to make the difference in the acception of new procedures. Examples of studies that have benefited from the use of the database can be found below.

Flight data analysis
Analysis of flight data is an important part of flight safety assurance. Many airlines therefore monitor their day-to-day flights for any exceedances or events, and take the necessary actions to mitigate negative trends. This process is known as Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) or Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA). Commercial off-the-shelve software is available to assist airlines in doing so. However, these tools cannot always help airlines in case they wish to analyse the more complex flight operational issues. That is why the Safety Institute provides additional analysis varying from statistical analysis of the results, to detailed flight data analysis using advanced data processing algorithms.

Example projects
Examples of studies that have benefited form the use of the Air Safety Database are:

Flight technical assessment for Reykjavik airport in the context of a re-arrangement of the airport, including obstacle clearance, instrument departure and arrival route design, noise impact, and land use;
A study for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, identifying and quantifying the risks that an aircraft could be damaged by a large object on the strip;
Development of a runway incursion vulnerability assessment tool for airports in Europe;
A study for a local airport in the Netherlands on the safety aspects of developing a wind turbine park near the airport.

For more information on air safety data analysis or any other question, please fill in our contact form.