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This paper describes a safety information management system designed to capture maintenance factors that contribute to aircraft mishaps. The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System-Maintenance Extension (HFACS-ME), an effective framework for classifying and analyzing maintenance errors that lead to mishaps, incidents, and personal injuries, is the theoretical foundation. An existing desktop mishap application is updated, a prototype web-based model is developed, and an Asynchronous Distributed Learning (ADL) module is conceptualized. These tools facilitate data collection, organization, query, analysis, and the reporting of maintenance errors that contribute to aviation mishaps. Together they represent a complete, robust system for analyzing aircraft maintenance mishap related factors anywhere at anytime.

To study maintainer error, the Naval Safety Center’s Human Factors Accident Classification System (HFACS) was adapted for Maintenance Related Mishaps (MRMs). The HFACS Maintenance Extension (ME) successfully profiled the errors present Naval Aviation Class A MRMs. In order to assess its suitability for studying major and minor airline accidents, a post hoc analysis was conducted on 124 Naval Fleet Logistics Support (VR) Wing maintenance related mishap, hazard, and injury reports. Two judges separately coded the 124 VR Wing incidents; a Cohen’s kappa of .78 was achieved, indicating an “excellent” level of agreement. Generally, HFACS-ME was able to profile maintainer errors found in more minor incidents and the factors that contribute to them. Common factors observed include errors attributed to third party maintenance, inadequate supervision, failed communications, skill-based errors, and procedural violations.