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An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and ThunderstormThe focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents. NASA project management desired this information regarding distinct subgroups of atmospheric hazards, in order to better focus their research portfolio. A seven category expansion of Kaplan's turbulence categories was developed, which included wake turbulence, mountain wave turbulence, clear air turbulence, cloud turbulence, convective turbulence, thunderstorm without mention of turbulence, and low altitude wind shear, microburst or turbulence (with no mention of thunderstorms).More than 800 accidents from flights based in the United States during 1987-2008 were selected from a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database. Accidents were selected for inclusion in this study if turbulence, thunderstorm, wind shear or microburst was considered either a cause or a factor in the accident report, and each accident was assigned to only one hazard category. This report summarizes the differences between the categories in terms of factors such as flight operations category, aircraft engine type, the accident's geographic location and time of year, degree of injury to aircraft occupants, aircraft damage, age and certification of the pilot and the phase of flight at the time of the accident.
Document ID
20130013459
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Evans, Joni K.
(Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 27, 2013
Publication Date
May 1, 2013
Subject Category
Air Transportation And Safety
Report/Patent Number
NASA/CR-2013-217989
NF1676L-16584
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 284848.02.01.07.04
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNL12AA09C
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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