Applying Human Factors

Principles

Chapter 10
Section B
Aeronautical Decision
Making
 Risk Elements

 Pilot – fitness, competency, currency, experience

 Aircraft – performance, limits, equipment,
airworthiness
 Environment – wx., airport conditions, ATC svcs.
 Operation – purpose of flight
 Situation – situational awareness of all above

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 Decision-making Process

 D – detect
 E – estimate
 C – choose
 I – identify
 D – do
 E – evaluate

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 Accidents – Incidents

 Accident –
– An occurrence in which any person on board the
aircraft suffers death or serious injury, or in which
the aircraft receives substantial damage

 Incident –
– An occurrence other than an accident which
affects the safety of operations

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 NTSB

 National Transportation Safety Board

– Investigates every U. S. civil aviation accident
– Issues safety recommendations
– Maintains database
– Conducts research on safety issues
– www.ntsb.gov

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 Poor Judgment Chain

 aka error chain

 Accidents and incidents rarely, if ever, are
the result of a single cause
 Usually a series of errors occurs which lead
to the accident or incident
 Break one link in the chain and sequence of
events would be stopped
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 Risk

 Flight activities where accidents are most

likely to occur

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 When do aviation accidents happen?

57.2% of GA accidents occur during 6% of flight time

Takeoff/initial climb, Approach, Landing
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 PIC Responsibility

 Read top half of page 10-28

 Judgment
– Learned
 From your mistakes
 From other experiences
 From the experiences of others
– Ability to exercise good judgment affected by
 Stressors

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 Stressors

 Three categories
– Physical stress
– Physiological stress
– Psychological stress

 Personal checklist

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 Stress

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 Improving Judgment

 Anticipate decisions
 Train and practice in critical areas
 Match individual skills with the job
 Standardize whenever possible
 Maintain positive attitudes
 Practice effective communications
 Be deliberate in decision making

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 Hazardous Attitudes

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 Communication

 Sending
 Listening
 Feedback

 Good ATC radio procedures help

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 Communication

When the rear-seat pilot of a dual-piloted T-33

aircraft attempted to adjust his position, he
inadvertently deployed the life raft in the seat
bucket survival kit. As the raft inflated, it
pushed the stick forward, which caused the
aircraft to pitch nose down. The front seat pilot
attempted to correct the dive, but met
resistance when he pulled the stick back.

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 Communication, continued

Meanwhile, the back seater found and

deployed the raft deflation tool. The front
seater, trying to solve the control problem,
heard an explosion as the cockpit filled with
talcum powder from inside the raft, which
looked very much like smoke. He identified the
problem as an engine failure, closed the throttle
and secured the engine.

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 Communication, continued

As the haze cleared in the back, the back

seater noticed the apparent engine flameout
and ejected. The front seater then dead-
sticked the aircraft into a field. Throughout this
entire sequence, not a word was spoken.

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 Barriers to Sending

 Poor choice of words

 Silence
 Assumptions
 Tone
 Over load
 Volume

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 Barriers to Listening

 Boredom
 Complacency
 Distractions
 Impatience
 Anger

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 Feedback

 Ask for clarification until you understand

 Acknowledge
 Restate
 Confirm
 Observe
 Question
 Disagree
 Answer
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 Double Check When You Hear . . .

 Probably
 Possibly
 I think so
 I hope so
 Maybe
 Should

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 Internal Barriers to Communication

 Rank
 Attitude
 Choice of words
 Misinterpretation
 Hearback
– Hear what you want to hear or are expecting
– Mixing/switching numbers 200-220, 120,210

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 External Barriers to Communications

 High noise
 Uncomfortable temperatures
 High workload
 Uncertain of policies/procedures
 Unable to see the other person

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 Resources

 Internal – in the cockpit during flight

 External – outside of the cockpit during flight

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 Workload Management

 Plan
 Prepare
 Prioritize

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 Overload

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 Compare

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 Situational Awareness

 An accurate perception of the operational

and environmental factors which affect the
aircraft, pilot, and passengers during a
specific period of time.

 Fixating on one thing

 Complacency

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