Description / Abstract:
This SAE Aerospace Information Report (AIR) addresses legal issues
concerning use of
non-deterministic methods in the design and/or analysis of systems.
The investigation includes an
assessment of legal precedent for use of these methods both in the
aerospace industry and in other
non-aerospace engineering contexts. The investigation is primarily,
but not exclusively, focused on
United States of America Federal and State Law.
This document is not intended to be used in any way as a "legal
justification" for the use of
Probabilistic Methods - it is simply a compilation of experience and
past precedent.
Many engineers note that the use of Probabilistic Methods for failure
risk assessment implies an
acceptance that any design will have a finite, albeit small, risk of
loss of function, and express
concern that this could be seized upon in a Court of Law to indicate
that the design was "unsafe".
This report helps to allay some of these fears by presenting the logic
used in past legal
determinations to assess liability following loss of function of
artifacts designed using both
deterministic and probabilistic engineering methods.
Some recommendations are also provided in the report of "good
practice" to be followed when using
non-deterministic design methods - most of which are equally
applicable to deterministic design
methods.