Statistical analysis of field data for aircraft warranties

US Air Force and Navy maintenance data collection systems were researched to determine their scientific applicability to the warranty process. Algorithms were developed to extract failure distributions which were then used to characterize how selected families of equipment typically fail. Families of similar equipment were identified in terms of function, technology, and failure patterns. Statistical analyses and applications such as goodness-of-fit test, maximum likelihood estimation, and derivation of confidence intervals for the probability density function parameters were applied to characterize the distributions and their failure patterns. Statistical and reliability theory, with relevance to equipment design and operational failures, were also determining factors in characterizing the failure patterns of the equipment families. Inferences about the families with relevance to warranty needs were then made