7.5 - Research: Operational
Risk Management
Greg D. Laxton
ASCI 638
– Human Factors in Unmanned Aeronautical Systems
Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University-Worldwide
26
February 2017
Introduction
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro retails for
approximately 1,499 dollars and is a popular product from the largest sUAS
maker DJI (DJI,
2017). DJI is a Shenzhen, China company and is the biggest consumer sUAS maker
by revenue (Wall Street Journal, 2014). The Phantom 4 Pro
is a very sophisticated sUAS which claims 30 minutes of flight time, 4K video
resolution, a 7 km. control range and forward speed of 72 km/h (DJI, 2017).
Prior to
flying the Phantom 4 Pro, a user should conduct a risk assessment to identify
and evaluate the hazards associated with operating a 3.1 lb. 72 km/h UAV (DJI,
2017). This is a prudent step and should help avoid injury to bystanders and
possible damage to property.
Preliminary Hazard List
The
preliminary hazard list (PHL) is a product for the operator to identify
“initial safety issues” (Barnhart, 2012, p. 124) associated with the
intended uses of the sUAS. The columns below are examples from the PHL list in
chapter 8, of the assigned reading (Barnhart, 2012, p. 125). For this
exercise, we are planning to operate the DJI Phantom 4 Pro for one hour at a
construction site. The contractor has asked us to evaluate the building and
site development progress. This is our initial visit the site and before
operating, the DJI team will need to identify hazards and assign a risk level
to each.
The
building site for this exercise is an urban apartment building covering
approximately 2 acres. The adjoining lots are inhabited on the West, South and
East perimeters. On the West is another apartment building and the Sought and
East sides have small strip malls. To the North of the construction site is
undeveloped wetlands. The FAA waivers and city approvals are in place to
operate the Phantom 4 Pro. Figure 1 has the summary of identified hazards and
the assigned risk levels.
PRELIMINARY
HAZARD LIST/ANALYSIS (PHL/A)
Date:
02/26/2017
Prepared By: Laxton, G Page: 1 of 1
|
Operational Stage: X Planning
___Staging ___Launch ___Flight ___Recovery
|
HAZARD
|
PROBABLILITY
|
SEVERITY
|
RL
|
MITIGATING
ACTION
|
RRL
|
NOTES
|
A) Pedestrians on perimeter sidewalks
|
High
|
High
|
High
|
Obtain permit to close sidewalks temporarily during
filming
|
Low
|
Cleared sidewalks will offer a buffer zone between
roadway and job site
|
B) Power lines on West boundary
|
High
|
High
|
Med
|
Place observer underneath in communication with
operator
|
Low
|
Customer representative with high vis vest and hardhat
|
C) Overflight of people on job site
|
Medium
|
Medium
|
Medium
|
Broadcast to all that sUAS is in flight for next 30
minutes
|
Low
|
All customer safety gear in place
|
D) Lost link
|
Low
|
Low
|
Low
|
Brief customer representative on DJI lost link action
plan
|
Low
|
Lost link plan to return DJI to specified clear area
|
E) Airspace
|
Medium
|
Medium
|
Medium
|
Assure maximum altitude
|
Low
|
sUAS can be programmed to limit maximum altitude
|
RL=Risk Level, RRL=Residual
Risk Level
|
Figure
1 Preliminary Hazard Analysis of building site
Preliminary Hazard Analysis
The
preliminary hazard analysis (PHA) in Figure 2 was completed during staging on
day one. The whole team has reviewed the PHA, offered inputs and agreed to the
analysis. After the team visit to the site, no additional hazards were
identified.
OPERATIONAL
HAZARD REVIEW & ANALYSIS (OHR&A)
Date:
02/26/2017
Prepared By: Laxton, G Page: 1 of 1
|
Operational Stage: ___
Planning _X_Staging ___Launch ___Flight ___Recovery
|
ITEM #
|
ACTION
REVIEW
|
PROBABLILITY
|
SEVERITY
|
RL
|
MITIGATING
ACTION
|
RRL
|
NOTES
|
A) Pedestrians
|
Complete
|
Low
|
High
|
Medium
|
Additional personnel at all sidewalk access points
|
Low
|
|
B) Power lines
|
Complete
|
Low
|
Medium
|
Medium
|
Personnel in place
|
Low
|
Personnel assigned and in place
|
C) Overflight
|
Complete
|
Low
|
Medium
|
Medium
|
Direct overflight of individuals will be avoided by
operator
|
Low
|
Flight route plan approved
|
D) Lost link
|
Complete
|
Low
|
Low
|
Low
|
Lost link procedure programmed into memory and ready
|
Low
|
Jerry was able to find and designate lost link target
location
|
E)
|
Complete
|
Low
|
Low
|
Low
|
Airspace overlaying proposed work area is Class G
|
Low
|
No ATC approvals required
|
RL=Risk Level, RRL=Residual
Risk Level
|
Figure
2 Preliminary Hazard Analysis during staging
sUAS Risk Assessment
Once the PHL
and OHR&A are complete for the specific area, and the operating crew have
been identified and the pilot in command (PIC) assigned, then the standard risk
assessment (RA) form is completed (figure 3). This form attempts to identify
risks associated with every flight, and risks that might be present only on
operations day, such as gusty winds or low visibility. The primary and backup
pilots have been identified, and they will complete the form below. It is
essential that the operating crew complete the RA form and the PIC is
responsible for returning the completed document to the supervisor in charge.
sUAS
RISK ASSESSMENT
Date: 02/26/2017 Prepared By: Laxton, G Page: 1 of 1
UAS
Crew/Station: _Laxton (pic)__/_DJI
A____ ____Hammond____/__DJI B___
|
Item
|
Pilot A
|
Pilot B
|
Description
|
Mitigation
|
Risk Level
|
Supervisor Concurrance
|
Crew experience (total)
|
425 Hours
|
27 Hours
|
|
none
|
Low
|
N/A
|
Crew experience (on type)
|
145 Hours
|
6 Hours
|
|
none
|
High
|
|
Observer experience
|
12 Hours
|
|
James May
|
None
|
Low
|
N/A
|
Regulatory compliance
|
Verified and will be responsible for all preflight
duties
|
Assist Pilot A
|
|
|
|
|
Visibility
|
|
|
6 miles
|
none
|
|
|
Airspace
|
|
|
Class G
|
none
|
|
|
Winds
|
|
|
4-7 knots
|
calm after 1530 local time
|
Medium
|
|
Mission altitude
|
|
|
Under 400ft AGL
|
none
|
Low
|
|
Lost Link procedure
|
|
|
Return to Southwest corner of construction site
|
complete
|
Low
|
|
RISK LEVEL
*All risks area identified as
“high” will need supervisor of flying signature prior to operation
|
Figure
3 Preliminary Hazard Analysis during staging
Aircraft Number: ___DJI A_______ Aircraft Type: ___DJI
Phantom 4 Pro________
Flight Released By: ____Jeremy Clarkson____ Date:
__02/26/2017______ Time: ___1400_____
Some
of the considerations for this day are forecasted winds in excess of 7 knots,
low operating experience of pilot #2, and regulatory compliance. The winds and
visibility are obtained from the National Weather Service forecasted and are
predicted to include gusts from 4-7 knots, with them dying down after 1530
local. The second pilot, J Hammond, has limited experience operating the
Phantom 4 and lists only 6 hours of flight time in his logbook. This requires a
“high” designation for assigned risk level. The supervisor, from the U.K.
office, Jeremy Clarkson, will have to initial the RA form prior to flight. The
airspace overlying the work area is Class G, and not requiring any ATC
approvals before flight. The PIC will assume responsibility for flight restriction
compliance under FAA Part 107 (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016).
Summary
If
the DJI Phantom 4 Pro operating team take the time to complete the PHL,
OHR&A and finally the RA, they should be able to identify the hazards at
the job site. Not all risk can be eliminated, but with proper hazard
identification, a clear plan to mitigate the issues, and an honest risk
assessment, the operation should be able to safely conduct the flights.
References
Barnhart, R. K.
(2012). Safety Assessments. In Introduction to unmanned aircraft systems
(pp. 123-135). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
DJI.
(2017). Buy Phantom 4 Pro | DJI Store. Retrieved from
http://store.dji.com/product/phantom-4-pro#/?_k=m6fq7l
Federal
Aviation Administration. (2016, June 21). SUMMARY OF SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
RULE (PART 107). Retrieved from
https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Part_107_Summary.pdf
Wall
Street Journal. (2014, November 10). Who Builds the World’s Most Popular
Drones? - WSJ. Retrieved from
https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-builds-the-worlds-most-popular-drones-1415645659