Part 4 of 4
It is extremely difficult to remain neutral about information in a difficult, time-critical, problem-solving situation. Even negative information, which would indicate a flaw in the established structure and assumptions, tends to be disregarded or ignored once there is some recognition of success – even if that “success” really is only a temporary absence in the worsening of the perceived situation. The tendency is to expect a gain in momentum toward achieving the expected, positive results. Recall the MD-82 landing at Little Rock, AR, in 1999. When the approach was begun, the weather was beginning to deteriorate. The crew flew the airplane closer to the airport, closer to the ground – both being what the crew wanted. The approach and landing probably was within the capabilities of the airplane and the crew at the time the initial landing clearance was given. The information was received and processed. A plan was formulated and the crew began to exercise that plan. They were notified of a change in the winds and the crew made an adjustment in their plan – they chose to land on a different runway. Both pilots were skilled and knowledgeable – both were aware of the rules involved in this activity. However, as the approach continued, the weather worsened. Windshear had been reported. A thunderstorm moved over the airport. The runway was being rained on heavily. The visibility was reducing. The wind values were increasing and another, dramatic change in the wind direction occurred. Undoubtedly, the stress level in the cockpit rose. The flight crew failed to arm the automatic ground spoiler system. They failed to arm the automatic braking system. After touching down, the airplane began to skid and went off the departure end of the runway. The Captain and 10 passengers died. The First Officer, 3 of the cabin crew, and 41 passengers were seriously injured. One cabin crew member and 64 passengers suffered minor injuries.
Clearly stress and distraction only make bad things worse. Stress is not normally a performance enhancer. Conventional wisdom says that problems that might be easily solved given time and leisure when on the ground, become a breeding ground for disaster in an environment with increasing pressure, limited time, and a heightened stress level. Situations occur where pilots might easily become overloaded with multiple, necessary tasks; they may be led to make errors in what they do; and they may fail to do what should be done.
Relying on knowledge and skill alone puts pilots at an immediate disadvantage and even more so for those pilots who lack the advantage of extensive experience. Experience is the process of becoming a competent, safe, and efficient pilot as opposed to someone who flies an airplane while relying on only two of the three types of behavior sets. Each set of behaviors must be developed and applied appropriately and in the correct combination to allow us to successfully carry out the duties required of an airplane pilot. The focus and discipline of using rules-based behaviors provides the most solid framework to integrate and apply both skill-based and knowledge-based behaviors. Without skills, it is impossible to successfully fly an airplane; without knowledge it becomes extremely difficult to select the correct procedure to apply under various conditions, but without the foundation of rules-based behaviors we would be operating essentially “on our own,” without an interest or a respect of what is or should be expected of a pilot. It would essentially be like driving our automobiles around without an understanding of or an adherence to the meaning of traffic lights or other traffic regulating signs and indications. Driving would be chaotic at best, and very likely disastrous on a scale that is unimaginable if we didn’t have a set of traffic rules and a rules-based behavior expectation of drivers. It would press human imagination beyond its limits to try to visualize an aviation system in which there were no rules-based behaviors established and followed – even if enforcement is required when and where necessary.