ARP 4761 Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) Online Training (AV-CERT-350)

Course overview

AV-CERT-350 is a detailed discussion of the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) method under ARP 4761. It covers how FTA is performed in support of preliminary system safety assessments and system safety assessments, and explains the key interactions between FTA and the aircraft and system development activities.

The course walks through constructing a fault tree — how to organize and present events so top-level event failure probabilities are calculated correctly — and how to present the FTA summary. On completion, attendees understand the FTA process, its role in the overall ARP 4761 safety assessment, and how it both provides information to and uses information from the aircraft and system development and verification processes.

What you will learn

• The objectives and purpose of a Fault Tree Analysis
• The relationship of FTA with the overall safety process
• The relationship of FTA with the aircraft and system development processes
• The Fault Tree Analysis process steps and their purpose
• How to represent different event types so top-level failure probabilities are calculated correctly

Who should take this course

Safety and systems engineers performing Fault Tree Analysis as part of ARP 4761 preliminary and system safety assessments.

Recommended prerequisite: AV-CERT-340 — Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA) Training

Course outline

1. What FTA is for — the objectives of fault tree analysis within PSSA and SSA.
2. Building a fault tree — top events, gates and basic events, and how to structure them.
3. Quantification — representing event types so top-level failure probabilities are calculated correctly.
4. FTA and development — how the analysis both informs and depends on aircraft and system design.
5. Presenting results — an FTA summary reviewers can follow.

Reading and building a fault tree correctly

Fault Tree Analysis is the workhorse of quantitative safety assessment, used in the Preliminary System Safety Assessment and the System Safety Assessment to show that a catastrophic or hazardous top-level event is sufficiently improbable. Its power comes from structure: a top event is decomposed through AND and OR gates down to basic events whose probabilities are known, and the way those gates are arranged determines the result. An AND gate models redundancy and drives the combined probability down; an OR gate models single points of failure and keeps it up. Get the logic wrong — or double-count a shared cause — and the number is meaningless.

That is why correct event representation and an honest treatment of common causes matter as much as the arithmetic. A fault tree that ignores dependencies between basic events will understate risk in exactly the cases safety analysis exists to catch. This course walks through constructing, quantifying and presenting fault trees so the top-level probabilities are calculated correctly and the analysis stands up to scrutiny.

What you will be able to do afterward

After AV-CERT-350 you will be able to construct a fault tree, represent event types correctly, calculate top-level failure probabilities, account for common causes, and present an FTA summary that supports PSSA and SSA.

How this course fits your certification path

AV-CERT-350 builds on AV-CERT-300 and AV-CERT-340 (FHA). For a written primer on the framework, see our ARP 4754 explained guide. Prefer instructor-led? Explore our full ARP 4754 & 4761 training courses.

How on-demand training works

Every ConsuNova module is delivered online and self-paced, so you can learn on your own schedule. Each purchase includes 30-day access with unlimited views and downloads for one user, and a certificate of completion is issued automatically when you finish the module.

Your instructors

This module is authored and delivered by ConsuNova’s senior certification authorities, giving you both FAA and EASA perspectives on compliance:

Reza Madjidi FAA DER Consultant

Provides FAA Designated Engineering Representative expertise on U.S. avionics certification.

Martin Beeby EASA CVE Authorized

Brings EASA Certification Verification Engineer authority on European avionics compliance.

Frequently asked questions