Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
FMEASection 06: System Safety & Functional Safety
Definition
A bottom-up, inductive analytical method that systematically examines each component or item in a system to identify its potential failure modes, the local and system-level effects of each failure mode, and the means of detection. FMEA examines each item in isolation: for each possible failure mode (e.g., open circuit, short circuit, stuck in position), the analyst determines the immediate effect on the item, the effect on the next higher assembly, and the end effect at the system or aircraft level. The analysis also identifies compensating provisions (redundancy, monitoring, crew alerts) and assesses the severity of the end effect.
Where This Shows Up
FMEA complements FTA: while FTA works top-down from a failure condition to determine what causes it, FMEA works bottom-up from component failures to determine what effects they produce. FMEA is particularly useful for identifying single points of failure, verifying that failure detection mechanisms exist, and ensuring that all failure modes have been considered. FMES (Failure Modes and Effects Summary) is a summary-level version. FMECA (Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis) adds a criticality assessment step that ranks failure modes by their severity and probability.
Primary Sources
Provides guidance on FMEA methodology in the aviation safety assessment context.
Military standard that originally codified the FMEA/FMECA methodology, widely referenced in civil aviation.
Artifacts Produced
Tabular document listing each item, its failure modes, local effects, next higher effects, end effects, detection methods, compensating provisions, and severity classification.
Related Terms
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