Flight Operations Safety Monitoring Effects on the Crew Alerting System

In 1979, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated a study to develop design guidelines for improving future aircraft alerting systems. In the course of this work, the FAA concluded that a system which went beyond the function of an alerting system might be useful. The study was extended to examine the question as to whether a system could function as a monitor of flight safety, that is, a system that could aid the pilots in resolving problems and contribute to reducing the number of future accidents.

The study established the feasibility of the concept of complementing the alerting system with a computer to perform the flight phase status monitor function.