Originally Posted by
Compton3fox
The power of bias is shown in these examples and I know you think your process will solve the issue but i didn't see everyone agreeing. It has been discussed but not concluded. It has been shown that the brain will, in some circumstances, see, hear or feel what it expects to, not always what is actually there. Or in the comair case, see what is there, question it but still proceed. I don't know the answers but I don't think just adding more cross checks alone will overcome bias.
Simple cross checks can overcome these biases, especially if one has already thought to themself that they will not cross a runway until two variables align.....runway crossing clearance and runway sign. Think of it as a kind of two-factor authentication.
That is why most airlines now have their pilots independently crosscheck the runway number for departure. I believe that this is a direct result of the Comair accident.
There are all kinds of simple cross checks we can do. Check that the flight plan that we received has the proper flight number(along with things such as the weight and balance form. Check that the logbook on board is the proper one for the aircraft, checking the proper frequency before transmitting, checking that the MEL listed on the paperwork is the same MEL number written in the logbook, check that there is no ground equipment that would create a hazard is at the gate area prior to taxiing in an focusing on marshalling signals etc.
Many of these things are not written down as procedures, they are just good practice.
I certainly think that taking approximately one second to look at a runway sign is a better solution than saying that one doesn't know the answers and simply accepting that it will not be possible to overcome biases.