As we’ve recently witnessed, airplanes do crash. Captain Price reveals the three most common causes of airplane catastrophes and the technology that’s keeping us safe.

The recent tragedy of Airbus A330-200 is a stark reminder that, despite phenomenal technological advances, we’re never completely shielded from accidents.

Any operation involving the interface between men and machines will always have a measure of unpredictability.

Firstly, I will analyze the most significant modern accident trends. Secondly, I will discuss the advances in the modern cockpit and the hardware / software developed to address problems of aircraft safety.

1. Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT)

Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) is a fancy way of saying that the aircraft was mechanically sound but that something went wrong in the management of the flight, which resulted in an unintended ground impact.

Example Catastrophe

In the early morning hours of the 6th of August, 1997, Korean Air Flight #801, a Boeing 747, crashed into Nimitz Hill on approach into the international airport on the island of Guam.

228 of the 254 persons onboard died.  Whilst the aircraft was mechanically sound, the management and leadership practices of the captain and crew were not.  The major breakdowns in crew management and discipline therefore constituted the source of the problem.

Technological Solution

The growing concern for the improvement of CFIT led to the development of the Electronic Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS). This amazing program constantly analyzes a number of flight parameters such as altitude, closure rate with the ground below/objects ahead, aircraft location in relation to known terrain, glide path, airspeed, etc.

Most importantly, EGPWS provides a significant and timely warning to pilots when closure with terrain is unsafe.  It has saved many a flight and has become a huge addition to the safety tool bag in every modern cockpit.

Plane Crash – Korean Air 801

2. Mid-air Collisions

One of the greatest fears among the traveling public is that of a mid-air collision.  Despite sophisticated radar control networks, this type of accident can doubtlessly occur.

Technological Solution

A system known as Threat Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) has been extremely instrumental in addressing this problem.

TCAS sends out electronic signals indicating position, altitude, and rate of climb or descent which are received and monitored by the TCAS units on other aircraft.

These preset parameters form a “safety bubble” around each aircraft so that if the projected flight path of another aircraft shows that it will penetrate this safety bubble, TCAS alerts the pilots of both aircraft.

As a result, if evasive maneuvers are required, both aircraft are given specific visual and verbal directions to “climb” or “descend”, thereby insuring a coordinated avoidance maneuver. TCAS is a life-saver, especially in congested airport traffic areas.

Mid-Air Collision DHL 757 and Tu-154

3. Runway Incursions

One of the most hazardous points in any flight occurs while taxiing to or from the active runway. In fact, runway incursions represent the first causal factor in commercial airline accidents. Often, darkness, obstructions to visibility such as fog or rain, and unfamiliarity contribute to pilot confusion.

Example Catastrophe

Consider just one of the more recent instances of a runway incursion that led to disaster.  Comair Flight #191 departed Lexington, Kentucky in the early morning hours of the 27th of August, 2006.

It was cleared to taxi to runway 22 but mistakenly taxied onto and took off from runway 26, which was much shorter.  The aircraft never reached flying speed, and crashed off the end of the runway killing all 47 passengers and two of the three crew-members.

Although this example involved only one aircraft, the typical runway incursion places both a taxiing aircraft and another either landing or taking off at grave risk of collision.

Technological Solution

In response to this risk, every modern passenger aircraft has a technology-rich, “glass” cockpit.  Many tasks formerly done by pilots can now be accomplished by on-board electronic aids such as the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), an encyclopedia containing a number of manuals, charts, airport approaches formerly maintained in paper form.

One of the great tools incorporated into the EFB is a moving-map computer display, showing each aircraft’s exact position and movement on the surface of the airport.

Freed from the need to reference paper charts when taxiing, pilots are more aware of their exact location on the airport.  Tower and ground control clearance instructions are incorporated to allow the pilot to be constantly attentive to clearance instructions.

The Human Factor

Whilst technology always creates new issues, it offers unique and powerful solutions to some of our most persistent and pressing safety concerns.  It will be many long years, however, before any of us feel comfortable flying without a pilot!   Fly Safely!

Surprised by what causes airplane disasters? What do you make of the technology employed to keep us safe?? Post up your comments below, we want to hear from you!

Coming soon…. 10 things you never knew about airplane food. Don’t miss out! Sign up for free updates below.

Photo: Rob Young

Capt Alan W. Price

Man-Machine Systems Engineering: how humans relate to technology and each other

High Expectations

Since the dawn of aviation, the prevailing expectation was that better technology would equal lower accident rates. However, in the late 1970’s we noticed that although Aviation technology had improved dramatically, accident rates remained stubbornly resistant to change. We found that improved technology was solving problems while creating others.

Cockpit Confusion

For example, more automation in the cockpit led to new ways of managing the aircraft, often with unintended consequences. Each pilot in a modern “glass” cockpit has an FMS (Flight Management System) computer screen. Simply put, on autopilot inputs into the FMS control the speed, altitude, and flight path of the aircraft. “If” one pilot should make inputs into the FMS without notifying the other pilot, each pilot could have a different idea of the future vector of the aircraft. This has happened on many occasions because one pilot assumed the other knew what he was doing. FMS technology has changed the rules on how we communicate in the cockpit, always notifying and obtaining acknowledgment from the other pilot when changes are made in the FMS.

Wiener’s Law

Dr. Earl Wiener addressed the idea that humans faced new challenges each time the technology changed with one of his famous Wiener’s Laws: “Any time you solve a problem you create one. The best you can hope for is that the one you solved is of greater magnitude than the one your created.”

The Human Factor

Innovative research by Drs. Bob Helmreich, Earl Wiener, John Lauber, and Clay Foushee, among many others, led the airline industry to focus on the one element that had not changed: the human element. Thus, a school of thought regarding how pilots relate to each other and to
the technology and tools they use was born. At the time, studies showed that 60-70% of all airline accidents were caused by human error, primarily by flight crews.

Top Training

To reduce this statistic, every major US airline began training pilots
in Human Factor skills. A series of programs, focused upon the human element, became known as CRM (Crew Resource Management). These programs expanded rapidly to include anyone who had a “dog in the fight” as flight attendants, mechanics, and flight controllers/dispatchers were incorporated into the expanded team.

The Power of Teamwork

Today, such courses and the skills they teach are part of commercial airline operations world-wide. CRM is not the only change that we’ve implemented in cockpit protocol over the past 25 years but it has been a huge part of the change. From early statistics showing 60-70% of all commercial aviation accidents were caused by human factor breakdowns, this figure is now in the 50% range. Might not seem like much, but this is a huge improvement. CRM cannot take credit for all of this improvement but is certainly a large part of it.

Risky Business

CRM concepts have also spread to military and corporate flight operations; more recently, CRM has moved beyond aviation to other high-risk, team-centered environments such as hospitals, chemical
plants, and nuclear control rooms. In some high-risk hospital settings, we’ve seen improvements of 50-75% in error/accident metrics.

Plane Comforts

CRM has made a difference. In aviation, there are many success
stories. Accident rates have been reduced. “There are old pilots and
bold pilots but no old bold pilots.” Safety is a systems-oriented
concept that can only be achieved through excellent teamwork. As you
begin your next flight, take comfort in knowing your crew has been
trained for the technical and human aspects of their jobs.

Fly Safely.

Captain Alan W. Price

Photos from Flickr. Photo credit: The cockpit of the Enola Gay by ten safe frogs