A Retrieval-Augmented Language Assistant for Unmanned Aircraft Safety Assessment and Regulatory Compliance

Abstract

This paper presents the design and validation of a retrieval-based assistant that supports safety assessment, certification activities, and regulatory compliance for unmanned aircraft systems. The work is motivated by the growing complexity of drone operations and the increasing effort required by applicants and aviation authorities to apply established assessment frameworks, including the Specific Operations Risk Assessment and the Pre-defined Risk Assessment, in a consistent and efficient manner. The proposed approach uses a controlled text-based architecture that relies exclusively on authoritative regulatory sources. To enable traceable and auditable outputs, the assistant grounds each response in retrieved passages and enforces citation-driven generation. System-level controls address common failure modes of generative models, including fabricated statements, unsupported inferences, and unclear provenance, by separating evidence storage from language generation and by adopting conservative behavior when supporting documentation is insufficient. The assistant is intentionally limited to decision support; it does not replace expert judgment and it does not make autonomous determinations. Instead, it accelerates context-specific information retrieval and synthesis to improve document preparation and review while preserving human responsibility for critical conclusions. The architecture is implemented using established open-source components, and key choices in retrieval strategy, interaction constraints, and response policies are evaluated for suitability in safety-sensitive regulatory environments. The paper provides technical and operational guidance for integrating retrieval-based assistants into aviation oversight workflows while maintaining accountability, traceability, and regulatory compliance.