Avionics interference from portable electronic devices: review of the Aviation Safety Reporting System database

The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database was reviewed for incident reports involving interference to avionics from portable electronic devices (PEDs). There were 125 incident reports identified. Examination of these reports revealed a wide variety of affected avionics, predominately navigation. A diverse group of passenger electronics is mentioned, primarily cellular phones and laptop computers. Relationships between categories of PEDs and avionics were shown to exist statistically. Many aircraft models were involved in the incidents, but preliminary analysis showed that no specific model was more vulnerable than any other. There were safety critical avionics involved and events occurred at critical flight phases. Some incident reports clearly demonstrated the potential for catastrophe. This paper, the first published review of the ASRS data in close to a decade, serves as a reminder that attention to this topic is important and timely due to technology advances, proliferation of consumer electronic devices and aging aircraft.