CRM questions

[planeenglish]

Hello all,

Firstly, I am an aviation English teacher not a pilot. I am taking a CRM course to help me develop a effective English as a second language (ESL) course from it.

In my studies to become an AV. Eng teacher we studied Steven Cushing's Fatal Words. With regards to the Eastern Airlines accident into the Florida Everglades, Cushing states that the ATC said to the Flight Crew "how are things coming along out there?" to mean "look at you losing altitude. The Crew evidently interpreted this to mean the situation with the landing gear light not the loss of altitude.

In my CRM course they don't say this happened. In fact, they say that there was NO COMMUNICATION to the Flight Crew regarding the loss of elevation. Could someone confirm this?

Also, regarding the British Midlands flight 90. They do not mention the fact that Cabin Crew and pax noticed the engine shut down seemed to be the incorrect one (this from the AAIB report). This is part of CRM is it not? That is, the cabin crew did not use proper communications by blocking this information to the cockpit.

I appreciate any light you can all share on the subject as I feel these are vital parts of CRM and communications, but certainly you are the experts. I fear this course I am taking may be missing some vital info.

Thanks in advance,

PE

[roljoe]

Hi,

You shoul'd find a lot of info on this site for now and the future..

http://aviation-safety.net/index.php

[planeenglish]

Thank you Roljoe

Can someone tell me what they personally about these two cases I specify below? What are your personal opinions?

Thanks and Best to all,

PE

[GlueBall]

One of the primary, elementary, items of cockpit briefings by the PF [Pilot Flying] for each flight includes the verbal reaffirmation for the PM [Pilot Monitoring] to be assigned the duties of handling any systems emergency or abnormality and that the PF will maintain his/her total concentration of flying the airplane and not get involved in the emergency/abnormality.

As to the EA401 crash in the Florida Everglades; it is well stated in the NTSB report that the controller had made the referenced query, "how are things coming along out there?" after he had noted an altitude reading of 900'. The controller had testified that he had "contacted EA401 because the flight was nearing the boundary of his airspace jurisdiction." The report further stated that "momentary deviations in altitude on the radar's alphanumeric block are not uncommon, and that more than one scan on the display would be required to verify a deviation requiring controller action."

Nowadays' enhanced digital radar technology would have sounded an automatic alert in the radar room. In 1972 commercial transponder mode-C [altitude reporting] radar technology was still evolving.

[alf5071h]

Some basics:

A link to the Eurocontrol aviation communications initiative “All Clear”. (www.allclear.aero/)

From the Airbus briefing notes, see ‘communications’, in the Human Performance area. (www.airbus.com/en/corporate/ethics/safety_lib/index.html)

Effective Communication. (www.dynamicflight.com/avcfibook/communication/)

Communication in aviation safety. (www.asasi.org/papers/2007/Communication_in_Aviation_Safety_Paul_Krivonos.pdf)

Aircraft Call Sign Confusion Evaluation Safety Study. (http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=1244)

[IGh]

A statement about CRM mishap review, from PE in the first slot:
“... I am taking a CRM course ... In my CRM course they don't say ... they say ... Could someone confirm this?”

These sorts of CRM mishap reviews are usually helpful. Sometimes, the locally drafted script goes astray from the investigators’ findings, and then their local script morphs into a complete fictional event.

As an example of a mishap review straying into fiction, I recall sitting through a four-hour HF module (their words for CRM) at a very big airline. The usually impressive instructor (captain/check airman) began by reciting events from the NWA/Republic MD8 mishap at DTW [NWA 255 / 16Aug87 Detroit MD82 N312RC], while displaying video images of the MD8 on the screen, then he began asserting that the victim-pilots (former Republic/NC guys) had earlier suffered a confrontation with other pilots in the local ramp-office, and this led to a story conclusion about human pilots and mergers in our airline industry. [Unknown to him or his listeners, his company’s script had subtly morphed away from the NWA mishap, mixed instead into the Trident G-ARPI mishap at Staines 18Jun72.] His listeners were left to believe that the NorthCentral/ NWA pilot had had an encounter, or dispute, over the recent merger, and this led to the fatal accident. This fictional script was never changed by the big airline: many of their pilots mistakenly recite a fictional version of the NWA mishap at DTW.

These days you can download most AARs from the web; sometimes others can supply the AAR to you. It is good to be skeptical about any mishap summary supplied during CRM, and double check the facts for yourself.

[planeenglish]

Thank you to everyone. The All Clear stuff I've got and have downloaded all the accident reports to which I referred below. I found that in fact the NTSB stated that the ATC at MIA did communicate to the flight crew of the Eastern but used ambiguous language and the flight crew misinterpreted. I stated this on my final exam and the school made no comment to the fact.

I made 98/100 on my course making only one slight variation on a guidance phase question.

Thanks for the advice below from IGh. Human factors are obviously at risk for, well, human error.

Best to all,

PE