Increasing general aviation (GA) pilot reports (PIREPs) through reducing errors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to increase General Aviation (GA) pilot reports (PIREPs) through reducing errors, trust issues, and inaccuracies in PIREP submittals that prevent inclusion in the PIREP system. PIREPs are an essential source for pilots because they contain the most current weather conditions and help pilots avoid flying into unforeseen hazardous weather. PIREPs can also provide vital information to meteorologists who develop aviation forecasts. A Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was conducted to identify failure modes for two PIREP processes consisting of air traffic control (ATC) processes failures and airmen induced issues contributing to the failure to submit PIREPs. After the failure modes were identified, recommended actions to eliminate or reduce the error or error effects were determined. The results, discussion, and future research are also addressed.