Aviation Safety Knowledge Management Environment Explained

The Aviation Safety Knowledge Management Environment^[1] (ASKME) is a software suite for certifying new aircraft and modified aircraft. It was created for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Certification Service (AIR).

ASKME was established to provide a comprehensive automation environment for critical safety business processes for the Office of Aviation Safety. It consists of 18 separate projects that were installed between 2008 and 2017.^[2] Segment 1 went from 2008 to 2012 and Segment 2 from 2013 to 2017.

The ASKME projects provide regulators with electronic storage and retrieval of FAA technical documentation,^[3] and feedback from previous certifications that involved aircraft design and manufacturing safety issues. allowing easier access and sharing.

ASKME captures key safety-related data for rulemaking and policy development, airworthiness directives, design certification, production/ manufacturing certification and airworthiness certification. This helps regulators approve operating certificates, design or modification of aircraft and meet aircraft safety conditions; designee management,^[4] evaluation and audit, external inquiries, enforcement, continued operational safety management, and international coordination.^{[5] [6]}

Deliverables

Segment 1 IT application deliverables

• Electronic File Service (EFS)
• Work Tracking Software – Risk Based Resource Targeting (WTS-RBRT)
• Monitor Safety Related Data (MSRD) (3 related applications)
  • Monitor Safety Analyze Data (MSRD-MSAD)
  • Oversee System Performance – Internal (MSRD-OSPi)
  • Oversee System Performance – External (MSRD-OSPe)
• Designee Supervision / Past Performance (DS/PP)
• Assimilate Lessons Learned (ALL)
• Work Tracking Software – Work Activity Tracking (WTS-WAT)
• Engineering Design Approval (EDA)
• DTE-DDS Technical Evaluations – Aircraft Certification Audit Info System (ACAIS)^[5]

Segment 2 IT application deliverables

• Electronic File Service (EFS) – Production Support and Historical Scanning
• Work Tracking Software – Budget Management (WTS-BMgmt)
• Airworthiness Directives Development (ADD)
• Airworthiness Certifications (4 related applications):
  • Standard Airworthiness Certifications (StdAC)
  • Special Airworthiness Certifications (SpclAC)
  • Special Flight Authorizations (SFA)
  • Certification of Imported/Exported Products (CI/EP)
• Compliance and Enforcement Actions (CEA)^[5]

Alignment of program to FAA strategic goal, outcome, and performance metric

• FAA Strategic Goal 1 – Next Level of Safety
• FAA Outcome 1 – No accident-related fatalities occur on commercial service aircraft in the US
• FAA Performance Metric 1 – Reduce the commercial air carrier fatalities per 100 million persons on board by 24 percent over 9-year period (2010–2018). No more than 6.2 in FY 2018^[5]

References

Notes and References

1. Web site: PIA - Aviation Safety Knowledge Management Environment. 2012-03-29. US Department of Transportation. en. 2019-05-05.
2. khanyasmin. 2010-05-05. FAAXX610: Aviation Safety Knowledge Management (ASKME/AVS).
3. Web site: The introduction of knowledge management technique in aviation safety management. ResearchGate. en. 2019-05-05.
4. Web site: Yona-Brixtel Awarded Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Knowledge Management Environment (ASKME) Contract. PRWeb. 2019-05-05.
5. Web site: Federal Aviation Administration National Airspace System Capital Investment Plan – Appendix B – Fiscal Years 2014 – 2018. Federal Aviation Administration. 9 April 2016.
6. Web site: Federal Aviation Administration – National Airspace System – Capital Investment Plan – Appendix A – Fiscal Years 2014 – 2018. Federal Aviation Administration. 9 April 2016.