According to the National Business Aviation Association
(NBAA) website, “Human factors is the study of the relationships between people
and their activities through the systemic application of the human sciences,
integrated within the framework of system engineering. Within the context of
aviation, that study includes the interactions among aviation personnel, their
environments, and equipment.” The most important relationship during flight is
that between the pilot, copilot and air traffic control (ATC).
If you watched the documentary video “Crash of the Century” about the accident between two Boeing 747
airliners at Tenerife airport, it shows how the relationship between the pilot,
copilot and air traffic control played a large role in the final outcome. There
were so many coincidences that led to the accident. A few of the problems really
started with the attitude of the pilot from the KLM flight and his relationship
with his copilot and his flight engineer. His egotism escalated throughout the
course of the original flight. The relocation to Los Rodeos Airport just added
to the hostility that the pilot already had and it carried through all the way
up to the accident. Had he not been so arrogant and impatient with his team in
the cockpit throughout the day, maybe the copilot or the flight engineer would
have been more persistent about stopping the pilot from continuing through with
takeoff, especially since they did not have clearance from ATC to do so. (Smith,
2017)
The challenge in the scenario is that a highly experienced
and well decorated pilot, was not working as a team with the rest of his crew
and with the air traffic controllers, who happened to be very short staffed
that Sunday. The lack of communication and lack of teamwork played a huge role
in the consequences for everyone.
National Business Aviation Association. Human Factors. Retrieved from https://nbaa.org/aircraft-operations/safety/human-factors/
Smith, Patrick. (2017, March 27). The Telegraph. The true story behind the deadliest air
disaster of all time. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/tenerife-airport-disaster/
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