Human Factors Vital

CRM is a concept that recognises the critical role of human factors in determining the effectiveness of technically proficient crew in both normal and non-normal situations and provides practical options which can bring about attitudinal/behavioural change so that competent individuals can come together to form an effective team

Formal training for crew resource management (CRM) was adopted by airlines from the early 1970s. KLM was one of the first to introduce a human factors training programme based on the Edwards SHEL model and the concept of trans-cockpit authority gradient. Accidents involving fully airworthy aircraft were perplexing to the aviation community, the most notable being the collision in 1977 between two B-747 airliners while on the runway at Tenerife. Such accidents were not due to the lack of technical proficiency of the cockpit crew but were suggestive of breakdown of coordination and communication between them. It was finally at the NASA workshop of 1979, where the relevance of human factors in aviation accidents came into focus. Participants at this conference concluded that formal training in crew coordination was required to reduce human error accidents. The origin of CRM training is now universally traced to this NASA workshop of 1979.

With advancements in knowledge and better understanding of the subject, CRM training has undergone generational change from the first to the present-day sixth which is also called “Threat and Error Management”. CRM training is crucial for flight crew, aviation’s last of line of defence in preventing accidents. However, it is equally important for others who provide support to aviation activities.

Pilot-in-Command

Amongst the flight crew, the final authority and responsibility with regard to safety of the aircraft and its occupants rests with the Commander of the aircraft from assumption of command until completion of the flight. This is elaborated in Rule 141 of the Aircraft Rules which states that “the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) shall have final authority as to the disposition of the aircraft while he is in command. The PIC shall supervise and direct other members of the crew in the proper discharge of their duties in flight operations.” It further clarifies that “In addition to being responsible for the operation and safety of the aircraft during flight, the PIC shall be responsible for the safety of passengers and cargo, maintenance of flight discipline and safety of the crew.” An onerous and challenging task indeed!

The PIC is highly capable but also has human limitations. Human attributes and behaviour have been studied by experts and well-documented. A pilot aspiring for flying licence is required to be knowledgeable in this regard. Human factors’ is the term coined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for this important area of study by pilots, and lately by others too such as air traffic controllers and maintenance personnel. Most of the earlier generation pilots, for whom knowledge of human factors was not mandatory for licensing, by virtue of their seniority, are today flying as commanders, check pilots, instructors and examiners. However, with generally an accident-free record, they are not convinced of the efficacy of CRM training. This article explains ‘why’ CRM is important for the commander and his crew. Understanding the ‘why’ would help motivate the crew to learn the ‘what’ and ‘how’, which is the main purpose of CRM training.

Importance of CRM Training

CRM training is important for all crew members, especially so for the commander because it is he who, by law, is ultimately responsible for safe flight. While every commander understands its importance, yet this concept needs to be internalised if accidents, such as the one at Mangalore and others around the world involving fully serviceable aircraft flown by technically proficient crew are to be prevented.

Human Error

With the new generation airliners offering high levels of technical reliability, human error has increasingly become the leading cause of accidents. Investigation into accidents have revealed that the underlying cause is not only human error on the part of the Commander and his crew but also attributable to errors or failures at various stages in the life-cycle of the aircraft viz. the design, manufacturing, loading and maintenance. Failure on the part of the regulator, management, air traffic control (ATC), dispatch and the meteorologist have been contributory factors. In some cases, the PIC or a well-trained crew could have prevented the accident, but failed to do so. This brings us to the larger question as to why human beings are prone to err.

Human Information Processing System

Research into the functioning of the human brain has revealed its limitations. The following are some of the significant memory-related problems that human beings, including pilots, are inclined to suffer from:

• Absent mindedness – forgetfulness attributable to lack of attention.
• Blocking – temporary loss of memory manifest in a query, “Did he clear us to land?”
• Transience – forgetting information with time evident in a question “What is the approach frequency?”
• Mis-attribution – forgetting the source of the information.
• Suggestibility – developing a false memory because of new information received during retrieval.
• Bias – unconscious reshaping of memory due to personal beliefs or mood.
• Persistence – negative distortion of memory of a traumatic event.
• Memory changes – memory changes from person to person and also within the same person due to reasons like physical and emotional health, stress, quality and duration of sleep, diet and age.
• In-attention blindness—things to which attention is not directed are not perceived. In-attention blindness is affected by the following factors:
     ♦ Lack of conspicuousness – all warnings in the cockpit are designed to be conspicuous so as to attract
        attention
     ♦ Mental workload and task interference. Low workload and the effects of automation, low arousal and
        low performance.
• Fixation is a cause factor in many aviation accidents. Fixing of attention on something leading to inadequate availability of attention resources to maintain situational awareness.
• Limited processing capability of the brain vis-à-vis massive inputs from the five senses. In aviation, the eyes and ears including vestibular apparatus and seat of the pants are the most effective sense organs. As an example, in the human visual system, the amount of information coming down the optic nerve is estimated to be around ten million bits per second. This far exceeds the capacity of the brain to process and assimilate, which is under 40 bits per second. Limitations of the working memory of the brain are akin to the RAM in a computer.