**8. Conclusions**

The dream of man to fly became a reality with the successful flight of the Wright Flyer in 1903. In a short span of about 120 years, aircraft and power-plant designs have undergone continual improvements to cater to the ever-growing air

traffic requirements. Innovations in design and analysis tools, material sciences, manufacturing processes, electronics, and communication have made flying easier than ever before and reduced the pilot workload. However, the possibility of human error creeping its way into the aircraft cannot be ruled out. If the human error is left unnoticed, it may result in fatal accidents. Vital factors leading to civil aviation accidents have been brought out by quoting a few examples. Various models used for the analysis of human factors have been discussed. A sevensegment model for identifying causal factors based on modified HFACS has been presented.

Most of the accidents in the last two decades have occurred during approach and landing phases of flight. Human-machine interface designs such as flight deck design should be revisited in light of the new technologies. Uniformity should be maintained in all final reports pertaining to aviation accidents especially with respect to various human factors and root causes leading to the accident. This will facilitate use of powerful tools such as Watson Analytics and Cognos Analytics for analysis of airplane crash patterns and also to find possible solutions to make continual improvements in flight safety. Safety Culture has to be established in the complete aviation industry setup, covering aircraft design, production, flight operations, and maintenance. This is even more important in view of the expected increase in air traffic in the coming years. Commitment of top management to safety is very important. Documented procedures should not just remain on paper, but shall be followed in both letter and spirit. Use of Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) concepts in aircraft design will result in improving the overall safety of the aircraft, while reducing both operation and maintenance costs. Also, the concept of design for manufacturing, maintainability, and in-service support should be kept in mind. CRM refresher at regular intervals including simulator training to handle flight exigencies is a must.

Air traffic will continue to grow increasing airspace congestion and pose challenges for bringing down the number of aircraft accidents. Use of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data can help improve utilization of airspace safely and efficiently. Human factors will continue to play an even more important role in striving towards an accident-free air travel. At the 77th IATA Annual General Meeting in Boston, USA, on October 4, 2021, a resolution was passed by IATA member airlines committing them to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from their operations by 2050. To succeed, it will require the coordinated efforts of the entire industry (airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, manufacturers) and significant government support. A similar commitment is in order to bring down the number of aircraft accidents and fatalities to zero.

## **Acknowledgements**

The authors would like to place on record the valuable suggestions and feedback provided by Prof. Zain Anwar Ali, academic editor, in bringing out this book chapter.
