Baseline Simulation Model for Crew Chiefs Performance Evaluation in Aircraft Inspections

Aircraft maintenance is crucial for operational readiness, requiring precision and expertise from crews balancing safety with evolving demands, often leading to fatigue. This study, pivotal in the efforts to refine aircraft inspection processes, evaluated Crew Chiefs' performance under varied shift schedules, focusing on fatigue from workload and sleep deprivation. We created a Discrete Event Simulation using Task Network Modeling to analyze Crew Chiefs' performance. The model, integrating sleepiness (assessed by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale using the Three Process Model of Alertness) and Visual Auditory Cognitive and Psychomotor workload metrics, evaluated the effects on inspection times, sortie frequency, and time-at-risk across different shift schedules (8on-16off, 12on-12off, 16on-16off). Inspection times increased from 91.9 minutes (8on-16off) to 139.7 minutes (16on-16off), with time-at-risk rising from 11.5% to 37.5%, worsening during night operations. The number of sorties flown decreased from 27 to 17 across these shifts. Our findings highlight the profound impact of shift schedules, workload, and sleep deprivation on Crew Chiefs' performance. This research is instrumental in developing strategies to mitigate fatigue risks, enhancing safety and efficiency in aviation, despite acknowledging limitations and the need for further validation.