System and method for tracking and verification of questionable control inputs by incapacitated operators

Abstract

An aircraft-based system for tracking and verifying control inputs from potentially incapacitated pilot stores to memory expected control input sets, e.g., control procedures for controlling an aircraft through segments of a flight plan. When pilot monitors indicate a state of potential incapacitation of a pilot (e.g., fatigue, unresponsiveness, hypoxia), the control input tracking system records any control inputs submitted via the flight deck controls by the incapacitated pilot, reviewing each recorded control input compared to expected control inputs (e.g., for the current flight segment). When a recorded control input sufficiently deviates from the corresponding expected control input (e.g., such that aircraft safety or mission criticality may be affected), the pilot and/or flight crew may receive feedback alerting to the deviant control input (e.g., which may be overridden or which may require confirmation prior to execution).