Human Error Management in Aviation Maintenance using Hybrid FMEA with a Novel Fuzzy Approach

Abstract

Human errors significantly contribute to aviation accidents during aircraft maintenance. Therefore, managing human errors becomes a critical aspect of aviation maintenance. The existing literature has extensively analysed human errors. However, there is a gap in accurately identifying and prioritising critical human errors and effectively managing them to reduce incidents and accidents. This research work proposes a novel fuzzy approach for human error analysis using a hybrid FMEA with Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS. We identified inadequate maintenance processes, attention/memory, inadequate documentation, inadequate supervision, judgement/decision-making, and knowledge/rule base as some of the critical human errors in aircraft maintenance. Based on these findings, we recommended practically implementable solutions at the organisational, workspace, and individual levels to mitigate human errors in aircraft maintenance.