WHAT ICAO SAYS...SEEMS TO WORK....
CHECKLISTS
2.1 GENERAL
Operators shall establish checklists as an integral part of standard operating procedures (SOPs). Checklists should
describe the actions relevant to specific phases of operations (engine start, taxi, take-off, etc.) that flight crews must
perform or verify and which relate to flight safety. Checklists should also provide a framework for verifying aircraft
and systems configuration that guards against vulnerabilities in human performance.
2.2 CHECKLIST OBJECTIVES
2.2.1 Normal checklists should aid flight crews in the process of configuring the aircraft and its systems by:
a) providing logical sequences of coverage of the flight deck panels;
b) providing logical sequences of actions to meet both internal and external flight deck operational requirements;
c) allowing mutual monitoring among flight crew members to keep all flight crew members in the information
loop; and
d) facilitating crew coordination to assure a logical distribution of flight deck tasks.
2.2.2 Checklists for use in abnormal situations and those for emergency situations should aid flight crews in
coping with malfunctions of aircraft systems and/or emergency situations. They should also guard against
vulnerabilities in human performance during high workload situations by fulfilling the objectives in 2.2.1 and, in
addition, by:
a) ensuring a clear allocation of duties to be performed by each flight crew member;
b) acting as a guide to flight crews for diagnosis, decision making and problem solving, (prescribing sequences of
steps and/or actions); and
c) ensuring that critical actions are taken in a timely and sequential manner.
2.3 CHECKLIST DESIGN
2.3.1 Order of checklist items
2.3.1.1 The following factors should be considered when deciding the order of the items in checklists:
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a) the operational sequence of aircraft systems so that items are sequenced in the order of the steps for activation
and operation of these systems;
b) the physical flight deck location of items so that they are sequenced following a flow pattern;
c) the operational environment so that the sequence of checklists considers the duties of other operational
personnel such as cabin crew and flight operations officers;
d) operator policies (for example, resource conservation policies such as single-engine taxi) that may impinge on
the operational logic of checklists;
e) verification and duplication of critical configuration-related items so that they are checked in the normal
sequence and again immediately before the phase of flight for which they are critical; and
f) sequencing of critical items in abnormal and emergency checklists so that items most critical are completed
first.
2.3.1.2 Critical items should appear no more than twice on a given checklist (see 2.3.1.1 e)). Critical items should
be verified by more than one flight crew member.
2.3.2 Number of checklist items
The number of items in checklists should be restricted to those critical to flight safety.
Note.— The introduction of advanced technology in the flight deck, allowing for automated monitoring of flight
status, may justify a reduction in the number of items required in checklists.
2.3.3 Checklist interruptions
SOPs should include techniques to ensure a step-by-step, uninterrupted sequence of completing checklists. SOPs
should unambiguously indicate the actions by flight crews in case of checklist interruptions.
2.3.4 Checklist ambiguity
Checklist responses should portray the actual status or the value of the item (switches, levers, lights, quantities, etc.).
Checklists should avoid non-specific responses such as “set”, “checked” or “completed”.
2.3.5 Checklist coupling
Checklists should be coupled to specific phases of flight (engine start, taxi, take-off, etc.). SOPs should avoid tight
coupling of checklists with the critical part of a phase of flight (for example, completing the take-off checklist on the
active runway). SOPs should dictate a use of checklists that allows buffers for detection and recovery from incorrect
configurations.
2.3.6 Typography
2.3.6.1 Checklist layout and graphical design should observe basic principles of typography, including at least
legibility of print (discriminability) and readability under all flight deck lighting conditions.
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2.3.6.2 If colour coding is used, standard industry colour coding should be observed in checklist graphical design.
Normal checklists should be identified by green headings, system malfunctions by yellow headings, and emergency
checklists by red headings.
2.3.6.3 Colour coding should not be the only means of identifying normal, abnormal and emergency checklists.