Abstract
The case study is focused on the application of principal quality tools in a fourth generation jet fighter to evaluate a maintenance activity in an accident investigation process. The paper assesses aircraft engineers’ performance on checking aircraft tyre inflation pressure before the aircraft’s flight. Process evaluation is organized by the application of fundamental quality tools in order to provide vital information regarding the level of control. The methodology combines the benefits of statistical quality control, root cause determination, and preventive actions, to eliminate maintenance discrepancy in the future. The methodology revealed an approach to generate useful safety metrics from incident reporting data. Furthermore, this study pointed out the significance of participation at all technician levels for the successful implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM). Also, it discusses the value of TQM in aviation and suggests that continuous improvement is still needed. The paper is based on practical work being undertaken in a military squadron and, therefore, is demonstrated to be practical in an aviation environment. This study would encourage aviation personnel to rely on TQM methods for performing quality assessment monitoring and achieving continuous improvement.
Highlights
The aviation industry operates in a very high-tech and competitive market, where flight and personnel safety is of paramount importance due to higher rate of fatalities in case of any accident (Khalid, Ilyas, Ahmad, & Asim, 2014)
Three different aircraft engineers were used for data collection
The “parts” and the “operators” were selected at random, so they represent the entire operating range of the process
Summary
The aviation industry operates in a very high-tech and competitive market, where flight and personnel safety is of paramount importance due to higher rate of fatalities in case of any accident (Khalid, Ilyas, Ahmad, & Asim, 2014). Numerous industrial and personnel accidents have been maintenance related It means that as a result of an inherent fault or a failure that took place during the maintenance process, the maintained system experienced in-service failure (Knezevic, 2012). It is obvious that aviation maintenance environment is caracterized as a complex sociotechnical system, as it consists of various contributing parts of the aviation industry: aircraft, engines, equipment, air traffic management, communications, navigation, surveillance, airports, maintenance, pilot training, and human factors All these aspects should be collectively and legitimately kept at optimum standards regarding safety to keep safety as a permanent top priority as planned (Sanfourche, 2001). The normal operating pressure of a tyre is between the reference value indicated above (15.4 bars) and plus or minus 5% (14.63–16.17 bars)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
