HFACS Analysis of Commercial Aviation Accidents, 1990-1996

From 1990 to 1996, this dataset contains human causal factors from commercial aviation accidents classified using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). The analysis was applied to accident records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) by researcher Douglas A. Wiegmann. It was used to demonstrate the framework's utility for identifying critical safety issues in civil aviation.

Use Cases

• Classifying latent and active human failures in aviation accidents based on the HFACS framework described.
• Identifying trends in organizational factors contributing to commercial aviation accidents.
• Assessing the reliability of the HFACS framework for error analysis in civil aviation contexts.
• Prioritizing intervention research for critical safety issues highlighted by the classification.

Strengths

• Data is structured around a validated human error framework (HFACS) developed for military and tested in civil aviation.
• Analysis covers a defined 7-year period from 1990 to 1996.
• Source data originates from the authoritative U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident records.

Limitations

• Row count, column definitions, and file formats are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Data is from a specific, historical time period (1990-1996) and may not reflect current aviation systems.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) commercial aviation accident records.

Collection Method

Accident records were analyzed and classified using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) framework.

Time Range

January 1990 - December 1996

Geography

United States (inferred from NTSB jurisdiction)