Contact:
Dr. Marcello Napolitano
(304) 293-4111, ext. 346.
Home: (304) 296-4341
New type of "black box" could cost a fraction of proposed FAA retrofit
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--Researchers at West Virginia University have developed a computer-based flight data recorder (FDR), commonly called a "black box," they say would cost a fraction of what new proposed FDRs with extended recording capabilities would cost the nation's airlines.
Along with the announcement on Jan. 15 by Vice President Al Gore that Boeing Corp. plans to retrofit its B737s with new rudder mechanisms, there was the news that new FDRs providing additional data are being considered by the FAA. Additional data would help explain crashes such as USAir Flight 427, which killed 132 people near Pittsburgh in 1994, and a United Airlines flight that went down near Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1991 killing 29.
The FAA is considering a rule mandating the U.S. aircraft commercial fleet be retrofitted with new FDRs with extended recording capabilities. If the proposed rule becomes effective, the nation's airlines will install these new FDRs within a four-year compliance time with a price tag of approximately $1.6 billion.
Dr. Marcello Napolitano, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and other researchers at WVU have developed a method for reconstructing flight data in lieu of making actual recordings. They call it a Virtual Flight Data Recorder (VFDR). The VFDR takes advantage of the capabilities of neural networks, which are mathematical models of human brain activities.
Data that can be reconstructed using the VFDR include deflections of control surfaces, which are critical parameters for crash investigation purposes. Current FDR on aircraft built before 1989, such as the one on USAir Flight 427, only recorded 11 parameters, which did not include deflections of the control surfaces.
The additional data--which can be reconstructed with a VFDR or recorded with a new extended FDR--could allow investigators to focus on a more limited set of probable causes for a crash at the onset of investigations, Napolitano said.
If the proposed rule becomes effective, the VFDR could serve as an interim flight reconstruction scheme, he said, while new flight data recorders with extended capabilities are phased in within the multi-year compliance time. In the event, however, that the rule is not adopted, the VFDR could save the airline industry approximately $1.6 billion, he said.
In addition to the VFDR research, Napolitano is involved in another research project related to construction and flight testing of a 1/25 scale model of a B747 (about 10 feet) with neural-network-based control. He is working on the project with Dr. David Martinelli, WVU civil engineering professor and head of WVU's Harley O. Staggers Transportation Center, and Dr. Jack Callahan, professor of computer science.
The project's primary objective is to provide in-flight demonstration of the capabilities of neural network based flight control systems to accommodate for malfunctioning sensors or control surfaces. This system would allow a flight to continue to a safe landing.
Also, a new generation of neural-network-based autopilot systems will be designed and flight tested. The B747 model is powered by four ducted fan engines. It has been built by a team of WVU technicians, graduate and undergraduate students along with Craig Aviation of Uniontown, Pa.
Flight tests are scheduled for February. The team plans to build a 1/25 scale model of the B777 powered by two mini-jet engines to be flown for the same research. Currently the WVU Research Office, the NASA/WVU Space Consortium, the WVU Harley Staggers Transportation Center and NASA Ames/Fairmont have pledged support for the project. Other requests for research support are being evaluated by Boeing and the FAA.
-WVU-
RSS