Aircrew Compliance with Standard Operating Procedures as a Component of Airline Safety.
Abstract
Improving the safety of complex human-machine systems is a continuing challenge. Available information concerning system failures, which are usually called accidents, incidents, or mishaps, regularly points to human operators as the 'brittle elements.' The need for greater understanding of operator behavior is recognized in a variety of technologically sophisticated system, for example, industrial processes, health care, public utilities, and national defense; but nowhere is it more obvious than in the aftermath of a commerical airline accident. Following the November 1979 crash of an Air New Zealand DC-10 which killed 257 people in Antarctica, United Press International noted that the ten worst disasters in aviation history have all occurred since October 1972. Although the degree of operator culpability varies, the fact that the five deadliest accidents have occurred since March 1974 is particularly significant. At least one commercial airliner was completely destroyed, and over 200 people were killed in each of the five crashes. Wide-body jetliners, either Boeing 747 or McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft, were involved in each instance. The sheer size of such vehicles portends grave consequences in case of system failure, be it human, mechanical, or a combination of the two.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA092443
Entities
People
- Jeffrey Edward Schofield
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology