Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Path Planning to Improve Reachability in a Forced Landing

  • Published:
Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel path planning method for improving the feasibility of a forced landing. When an aircraft completely loses its thrust, the only measure it can take is to make a forced landing at an adjacent airport as soon as possible. In such a situation, the flight path to the landing point must be safe and viable. This paper details a method which enables safer and easier landing by transferring the benefits of excess altitude to the final approach length. Moreover, by planning the descent angle of final approach to be in the middle of a non-spoiler and a full-spoiler glide angle, this method enables a change in descent angle to correct any tracking errors, without using thrust. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, six degrees-of-freedom nonlinear simulations were performed and the results are compared with comparable methods. From the simulation results, it was confirmed that the proposed method could plan a safe path in a sufficiently short time and the aircraft could reach the landing point safely.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Collection of data about commercial airplane in 2014, chapter 1, Japan Aircraft Development Corporation, http://www.jadc.jp/files/topics/38_ext_01_0.pdf (2014). Accessed 25 December, 2014

  2. Survey and Research about an analysis of the effect of Low-Cost-Carrier entry, Ministry of Land Infrastructure Transport and Tourism, http://www.mlit.go.jp/pri/kouenkai/syousai/pdf/research-p140528/05.pdf (2014). Accessed 25 December, 2014

  3. Information about safety of air transportation in 2013, Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau, http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001047479.pdf (2014). Accessed 25 December, 2014

  4. Volcanic Hazards Impacts on Aviation, Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation, http://www.cusvo.org/docs/volcanichazards031606.pdf (2006). Accessed 25 December 2014

  5. US Airways Flight 1549 Accident Report, NTSB (2010). Accessed 25 December 2014

  6. Bird strike data in 2012, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000994317.pdf (2013). Accessed 25 December, 2014

  7. FAA, Order 8260.38A

  8. Pillar, E., Luis, M., Xi, L., Rodney, W.: Automating Human Thought Processes for a UAV Forced Landing. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 57(1-4), 329–349 (2010)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Luis, M., Pillar, E.: Controlled Emergency Landing of an Unpowered Unmanned Aerial System. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 70(1-4), 421–435 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Adler, A., Bar-Gill, A., Simkin, N.: Optimal flight path for engine-out emergency landing, 24th Chinese Control and Decision Conference, pp. 2908–2915 (2012)

  11. Matthew, C., Wen-Hua, C., Peter, R.: Reachability Analysis of Landing Sites for Forced Landing of a UAS. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 73(1-4), 635–653 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Aiying, L., Wenrui, D., Jiaxing, W., Hongguang, L.: Autonomous Vision-Based Safe Area Selection Algorithm for UAV Emergency Forced Landing. Communications in Computer and Information Science 308, 254–261 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Johannes, S., Walter, F.: Fast Generation of Landing Path for Fixed-Wing Aircraft with Thrust Failure, AIAA Guidaince, Navigation, and Control Conference, San Diego, California, USA, 4–8 (2016)

  14. Dubins, L. E.: On Curves of minimal length with a constraint on average curvature, and with prescribes initial and terminal positions and tangents. Am. J. Math. 79(3), 497–516 (1957)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  15. Jan, R.: Airplane Flight Dynamics and Automatic Flight Controls DAR corporation (2001)

  16. Marcos, A.: A Linear Parameter Varying Model of the Boeing 747-100/200 Longitudinal Motion University of Minnesota (2001)

  17. AIP Japan, Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, https://aisjapan.mlit.go.jp/html/AIP/html/20141211/frame/index-en-JP.html/#efct=20141211 (2014). Accessed 25 December, 2014

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Space and Environment Design Engineering School of Science for Open and Environmental Systems, Keio University, Minato-ku, Japan

    Shusuke Izuta

  2. Department of System Design Engineering, Keio University, Minato-ku, Japan

    Masaki Takahashi

Authors
  1. Shusuke Izuta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masaki Takahashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shusuke Izuta.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Izuta, S., Takahashi, M. Path Planning to Improve Reachability in a Forced Landing. J Intell Robot Syst 86, 291–307 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-016-0431-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-016-0431-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation