GPS-Based Terrain Avoidance Systems - A Solution for General Aviation Controlled Flight into Terrain

Jonathan Baldwin, Rick Cassell, and Alexander Smith

Abstract:	Of tbe 2,533 fatal general aviation (GA) accidents from 1982-1988, a total of 646 fatal accidents (nearly 26%) were attributed to controlled flight into terrain (CRT). This category of accident was the single biggest cause of GA aircraft fatalities during this period. Tbis paper discusses a concept for a low-cost GA Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) that can satisfy the operational requirements for avoiding CFIT incidents, thereby improving the utility and safety of GA flight activities. The results from this work are expected to validate the concept of operation, determine the functional and physical characteristics of the device, and validate tbe design through modeling and simulation. Assuming a successful conclusion to the concept validation stage,fabrication of a preliminary hardware prototype will also be initiated in preparation for flight testing. The device relies on two extensive databases and a GPS sensor to develop a low-cost GPWS designed specifically for the small, single engine, single pilot GA aircraft- referred to as the TWAS (Terrain Warning and Avoidance System).
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1995 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 18 - 20, 1995 Disneyland Hotel Anaheim, CA
Pages:	413 - 417
Cite this article:	Baldwin, Jonathan, Cassell, Rick, Smith, Alexander, "GPS-Based Terrain Avoidance Systems - A Solution for General Aviation Controlled Flight into Terrain," Proceedings of the 1995 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, CA, January 1995, pp. 413-417.
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