COMMUNICATION ERRORS IN AIR CRASH
Communication has long been suggested as
a critical issue in all aspects of human interaction, which is reported to be
the major contributing factor into aviation accidents. Communication is
essential for organizational and managerial performance and success in any
endeavour, including aviation environment. In order for decision makers to
arrive at the best possible decisions from a set of alternative decisions,
accurate information is a necessity and this is the important of communication,
which requires attention of aviation management to establish and implement best
ways of remedying communication problems. Effective communication is a basic
human requirement and in the aviation operational contexts, communication is an
essential pre-requisite to safety. If aviation industry manage to find ways of
handling all these communication problems, aviation will be free of accidents.
However, due to the fact that humans are still operators and are prone to make
mistakes, human factors will still be exist. Nevertheless with the successful
implementation of the recommended solutions discussed hereunder may contribute
to the minimizing of the existing communication problems. Hence the importance
of communication may then be optimized. This discussion will focus on the two
types of communication, Verbal and Written communication[1],
the main objective here is to highlight some ways of fine tuning these two
types to optimize the importance of communication in Aviaton which is
increasing level of safety in operational contexts. Written communication
involves any type of interaction that makes use of the written word.
Communication[2] is
a key to any endeavor involving more than one person. In fact, written
communication is the most common form of communication in aviation through the
use of SOPs, flight manuals, flight plans, checklists, operational bulletins
and more between management and operational personnel. These documents are used
to convey information and instructions needed by the organization to be
performed by operational personnel. More importantly these documents are vital
to aid decision makers when encountering problems during operations, therefore
they are expected to provide the most precise, concise and direct information
or instructions directly related to the situation encountered. However, flight
crews and operational personnel found it difficult to read all these excessive
documented manuals due to improper and excessive wording, especially in
emergency scenarios which could impair decision making leading into serious
incidents. This is another important way of communicating within the aviation
operational context, between ATCO and Pilots, management and operational
personnel. Being able to communicate effectively will contribute to the
reduction of aviation accidents. Verbal communications is one major media for
communicating within the aviation operational context, and needs to be improved
along the practical drift for all employees. According to many reports,
communication error between ATCOs and Pilots is a major contributing factor into
aviation disasters, therefore should be considered with great concern. Aviation
industry has been developing some innovative ways that could be employed in the
system to increase level of improvement to communication, especially between
ATCOs and Pilots.
Air traffic control (ATC)
is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the
ground and through controlled airspace. The primary purpose of ATC systems
worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and
expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other support for
pilots when able. In some countries, ATC may also play a security or defense
role, or be run entirely by the military.Preventing collisions is referred to
as seperation, which is a term used to prevent aircraft from coming too close
to each other by use of lateral, vertical and longitudinal separation minima.
Many aircraft now have collision avoidance system installed to act as a backup
to ATC observation and instructions. In addition to its primary function, the
ATC can provide additional services such as providing information to pilots,
weather and navigation information and NOTAM (Notices To AirMen).In many
countries, ATC services are provided throughout the majority of airspace, and
its services are available to all users (private, military, and commercial).
When controllers are responsible for separating some or all aircraft, such
airspace is called "controlled airspace" in contrast to "uncontrolled
airspace" where aircraft may fly without the use of the air traffic
control system. Depending on the type of flight and the class of airspace, ATC
may issue instructions that pilots are required to follow, or merely flight
information (in some countries known as advisories) to assist pilots
operating in the airspace. In all cases, however, the pilot in command has
final responsibility for the safety of the flight, and may deviate from ATC
instructions in an emergency.[3]
Pursuant[4]
to requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), ATC
operations are conducted either in the English language or the language
used by the station on the ground. In practice, the native language for
a region is normally used however, the English language must be used upon
request. The primary method of controlling the immediate airport environment is
visual observation from the aerodrome control tower (TWR). The TWR is a tall,
windowed structure located on the airport grounds. Aerodrome or Tower
controllers are responsible for the separation and efficient movement of
aircraft and vehicles operating on the taxiways and runways of the airport
itself, and aircraft in the air near the airport, generally 5 to 10 nautical
miles (9 to 18 km) depending on the airport procedures.Radar displays are
also available to controllers at some airports. Controllers may use a radar
system called Secondary Surveilance Radar for airborne traffic approaching and
departing. These displays include a map of the area, the position of various
aircraft, and data tags that include aircraft identification, speed, altitude,
and other information described in local procedures. In adverse weather
conditions the tower controllers may also use Surface Movement Radar (SMR), Surface
Movement Guidance and Control Systems (SMGCS) or Advanced SMGCS to control
traffic on the manoeuvring area (taxiways and runways).The areas of
responsibility for TWR controllers fall into three general operational
disciplines; Local Control or Air Control, Ground Control, and Flight
Data/Clearance Delivery—other categories, such as Apron Control or Ground
Movement Planner, may exist at extremely busy airports. While each TWR may have
unique airport-specific procedures, such as multiple teams of controllers
('crews') at major or complex airports with multiple runways, the following
provides a general concept of the delegation of responsibilities within the TWR
environment.Remote and Virtual Tower(RVT) is a system based on Air Traffic
Controllers being located somewhere other than at the local airport tower and
still able to provide Air Traffic Control services. Displays for the Air
Traffic Controllers may be either optical live video and/or synthetic images
based on surveillance sensor data.
It is said that most airplane accidents take place during takeoff
and landing. It is also known that accidents occur more often because of
pilot errors and less so because of mechanical problems. But why? Why do pilots
make errors? What kind of errors do they make? According to Malcolm Gladwell’s
book, The Outliers, a large number of plane crashes happen because of
miscommunication and language issues. There are two places where
miscommunication occurs: among pilots in the cockpit and between air traffic
controllers and pilots. And, there are two major reasons for miscommunication.
The first one is cultural and is measured by a power distance index,
driven by respect to authority and attitude toward hierarchy. The second one is
driven by ranking and subordination on the job. It causes co-pilots to
use highly mitigated speech and to avoid confronting the main pilot when
necessary.
Here are some examples of crashes[5]
situation(during landing):A Korean Air plane flying from Korea to Guam was
going through bad weather and stormy clouds. The captain had committed the
plane to visual landing, which meant that he had to be able to see the airport
runway. Here is some of the conversation among the pilots. Pay close attention
to a couple of comments from the supporting crew to the captain and to how the
captain responds to them, or doesn’t: First officer: Do you think it
rains more in this area? Captain: (silence)Flight engineer:
Captain, the weather radar has helped us
a lot.Captain: Yes. They are very useful. What the first officer is trying to do is warn the pilot
that it may not be safe to do a visual approach without a backup plan for
landing, in case the runway is not visible. Such communication of hinting from
first officer to pilot is not uncommon in Korean culture. However, driven by
respect to authority and fear of upsetting their superior, the co-pilots
ultimately contributed to the plane crash as they allowed the pilot to start a
visual landing without an alternative.
The 2nd example of inadequate
communication between the first officer and the pilot is illustrated by the two
pilots of an Air Florida plane in 1982. Here is some of the chat in the cockpit
prior to takeoff:First officer: See all those icicles on the back there
and everything?First officer: Boy, this is a losing battle here on
trying to de-ice those things, it gives you a false feeling of security, that’s
all it doesFirst officer: Let’s check those wing tops again, since we’ve
been sitting here a while? Captain: I think we get to go here in a
minute. Later that plane crashed because of problems caused by ice on
the wings. If the co-pilot had more strongly advocated his opinion and forced
the pilot to de-ice the wings before takeoff, that incident would have been
avoided. Although the co-pilot had hinted 3 times at the possible dangers of
not de-icing the wings, the pilot ignored his comments as trivial and
unimportant.
The 3rd story is from a crash of an
Avianca flight coming from Columbia to JFK. A backed up airport and
miscommunication between the co-pilot and Air Traffic controllers caused the
plane to run out of fuel while circling over New York waiting for landing
clearance. Here is some of the exchange that took place between the pilots and
the ATC: Captain: Advise ATC we don’t have fuel. First officer:
Climb and maintain 3 thousand and, ah, we’re running out of fuel sir.Air
Traffic Control: I’m gonna bring you about fifteen miles northeast and then
turn you back onto the approach. Is that OK with you and your fuel? First
officer: I guess so. Thank you very much. Five minutes later the plane
crashed because of fuel exhaustion. Later, the JFK air traffic controller
testified that he took the co-pilot’s words about “running out of fuel” as a
passing comment, instead of emergency signal. Controllers hear such “running
out of fuel” remarks all the time. In fact, it is absolutely normal for planes
to be running low on fuel prior to landing. They are supposed to be lighter and
not carry much fuel when they land. The co-pilot had mentioned they were
running out of fuel towards the end of the sentence, without saying the magic
word “emergency”. The investigation concluded that the co-pilot’s cultural
heritage of Columbia, which is a high power distance culture, was the main
reason to feel intimidated by the dominant and snappy attitude of the JFK
controller, and not communicate clearly the urgency of that alarming situation.
So what can they do? How can pilots improve communication and eliminate
language problems causing fatal plane crashes? Airlines have started to combat
mitigated speech. They make co-pilots address superiors by first name, teach
them to be more assertive and get more comfortable with pushing back. In turn,
main pilots try to be less dominant and operate as organizers, negotiators and
facilitators, rather than as commanders, thus making it easier for first
officers to speak up in order to correct any mistakes caused by the main pilot.
Bill Voss[6] is president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, a group
dedicated to improving aviation safety. He was previously director of the Air
Navigation Bureau at the International Civil Aviation Organization, and spent
23 years working at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. (CNN) -- By now, everyone should know that
aviation is the safest way to travel: Even in parts of the world with a
"high" accident rate, that rate is still far below other ways to get
from point A to point B.This level of safety is due to a tradition of hard work
and technological advances that must continue.New threats emerge every day, but
through proactive efforts in data collection and analysis, we don't have to
wait for an accident anymore. we can mitigate these risks before they become
real problems.So how do we square those facts with terrible tragedies such as
Air France 447? Plane crashes do still occur, even with state-of-the-art
aircraft. Everyone in the industry must continue to work hard on safety.
Abbas Ibn Firnas[7] (810–887 A.D), also known as Abbas Abu Al-Qasim Ibn Firnas Ibn
Wirdas al-Takurini , was a muslim andalusian polymath , inventor ,engineer.
He was born in Izn-Rand Onda and lived in the Emirate of Cordoba. He is known
for an early attempt at aviation. Among other very curious experiments which he
made, one is his trials to fly. He covered himself with feathers for the
purpose, attached a couple of wings to his body, and, getting on an eminence,
flung himself down into the air, when according to the testimony of several
trustworthy writers who witnessed the performance, he flew a considerable
distance, as if he had been a bird, but, in alighting again on the place when
he had started, his back was very much hurt, for not knowing that birds when
they alight come down upon their tails, he forgot to provide himself with one.
From the last sermon[8]
of prophet Muhammad S.A.W, he said “All those who are listening to
me, you have to spread it to someone else. Hopefully, the last person to get
the information will have a better understanding of those who hear it directly
from me”.We can see that Islam do urge us to have a good communication skills
as it plays a very important role in our daliy activities. Open
communication climates encourage employees through supporting
them, through allowing them to participate in decision making, and, through
trusting them, which assures the integrity of information channels. Ultimately,
the openness of any communication climate depends upon the character of the
participants. Openness often demands courage because the communicator operates
with lowered or eliminated defensive barriers, even when standing up to verbal
assault. Because open communicators have to articulate their positions in
meetings, public arenas, and in print, they must be secure individuals,
confident in their own positions, ability, and authority. Yet, while open
communication climate may make formidable personal demands, such openness ultimately
rewards both the individual and the organization in providing an environment
where people thrive and enterprise flourishes.In aviation industry, the pilots,
engineer, and the air traffic controller should have a very good communication
skills in working together.The culture of seniority should be eliminated
between the pilots and co pilots in order to avoid communication error between
them.They need to be certain and straight in converting information neglecting
the hierarchy of their position.As for that reason,the causes of air crashes by
human errors can be reduced.
[3] Breitler, Alan and Kirk, Kevin (Sep 1996), Effects
of Sector Complexity and Controller Experience on Probability of Operational
Errors in Air Route Traffic Control Centers, Center for Naval Analyses
Document (IPR 95-0092)
[4] McDougall, Glen and Roberts, Alasdair S (August 15,
2007). Commercializing Air Traffic Control: Have the Reforms Worked?.
Canadian Public Administration. p. Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 45–69, 2009.
[5] Cohn, Robert L. (1994). They
Called It Pilot Error: True Stories Behind General Aviation Accidents. TAB
Books ,New York.
[6].Aviation Safety World. Business Publisher.
2006-05-17. Archived from the original
on 2008-08-22.
Retrieved 2009-02-22.
[7] J.
Vernet, Abbas Ibn Firnas. Dictionary of Scientific Biography (C.C. Gilespie,
ed.) Vol. I, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970–1980. pg. 5.
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