aviation psychology Flashcards
what are the several areas of interest for HF in aviation
pilots - optimise performance in cockpit, no margin for error
ATC - high stress, errors can cost lives
aircraft maintenance - important for safety but high source of mistakes
aviation screening - only as secure as weakest link, 9/11, etc.
what do humans interact with in the aviation system
environment - storms, turbulence
equipment - landing gear
tasks - prepare for take-off and landing
other humans - ATC, engineers and co-pilot
what are the benefits of human behaviour prediction in aviation
- predicting how a pilot reacts to a reading can reduce error, and instruments need to be interpretable
- predict how a maintenance technician will behave when given instructions
- predicting how well a security officer will detect a threat
how are aviation accidents classified
pilot related -> improper action or lack off
mechanical -> failure of mechanical component or errors
unknown -> include causes such as pilot incapacitation, undetermined accident.
what are the three categorisation of pilot error
-> procedural tasks - management within aircraft, retracting landing gear instead of wing flaps
-> perceptual motor tasks - includes manipulating flight controls
-> decisional tasks - includes flight planning, errors can include failing delegation of tasks.
what is the SHELL model fro aviation
software - rules, procedures, written documents
hardware - aircraft, ATC tower, computers, controls
environment - the situation in which the L-H-S systems must function
liveware - the human beings working in aviation and their interactions with the systems
a mismatch between liveware and other component contributes to human error.
give an example of why switch design (hardware) is important
(1996 Australian A-430)
- in December the crew noticed a minor fuel imbalance
- required action -> open four fuel cross fed valves in the
overhead panel to enable fuel to correct th eimabalnce. - adjacent to these are four engine drive hydraulic pumps.
- the pilot placed his finger on the correct fuel switch but a message appearing distracted him and he then accidentally pressed wrong one
- pressure dropped and nose pulled up.
what is the Swiss cheese model of accident causation
- latent failures are decisions which lie dormant until revealed by active failures.
- organisational influences include cost cutting, poor communication
- preconditions for unsafe acts - loss of SA, poor crew resource management
case study: Kobe Bryants helicopter crash
- pilot made a series of poor decisions which led him to fly blindly into a wall of clouds where he became disorientated
- he ignored his training and violated rules.
- the pilot may have felt a continuation bias which is an unconscious tendency among pilots to stick to the original plan.
what is situational awareness
SA is the perception of the elements in the env. within a volume of time and space.
appreciating what needs to be known
elements:
- extracting env. info
- integrating info relevant for internal knowledge
- using the picture to direct further perceptual exploration in a cycle
- anticipating events
outline the importance of SA
- Hartel, smith & prince 1991 - stated that loss of situational awareness is the leading cause of mishap in a review of 175 aviation accidents.
discuss HF in aviation security
- this plays an important role in aircraft safety
- aircrafts have been targets for terrorists for a long time
- 9/11 attacks resulted from a failure of aviation security
what are issues with threat detection
- many threats are not what is seen in daily life - IED
- some threats look harmless such as a pen knife that resembles a pen.
- unusual viewpoint makes it hard to recognise.
what is computer based training
CBT addresses issues, and uses a database to detect threats from many viewpoints
what is Threat image Projection (TIP)
Tip allows projecting fictional threat items on x-ray images of real passenger bags while screening them in airport security.
