| Airplane disasters are not like freak acts of nature. | | | | However, you would never think that from all the |
| They don't just happen. They don't just happen | | | | negative news coverage from the media when an |
| because someone touch the wrong switch, or made | | | | accident does occur. Usually, it takes weeks later |
| one mistake. One Philosopher once said, "flying is | | | | before we discover all the chain of events that led |
| inherently safe, but just like the sea it is terribly | | | | to a specific accident. Investigators will piece |
| unforgiving for recklessness". | | | | together the accident with help from the flight data |
| So, what is an accident? An aircraft accident is | | | | recorder, & cockpit voice recorder. The flight |
| defined as for the purpose of flight from one point | | | | data recorder records the aircraft parameters like |
| of origin to destination if an aircraft suffers damage, | | | | speed, altitude,& track. The CVR records the |
| fatalities, injuries, or damage to property. One thing | | | | actual cockpit conversation. Pilots are taught CRM, or |
| to understand is that all accidents are caused by a | | | | Cockpit Resource Management in order to guard |
| chain of events. Sometimes these chain of events | | | | against making errors that lead to a chain of events. |
| are started hours, weeks, or months before the | | | | CRM is a new concept that came around in the |
| actual accident in some rare cases. When we refer | | | | 1980's. It means using all your resources including |
| to a chain of events we mean a series of mistakes, | | | | equipment, procedures, & people to promote |
| or bad judgment. Not getting the right information in | | | | safety, & enhance the efficiency of flight |
| time in order to make the best decision could also | | | | operations. An example of a flight crew using CRM is |
| lead to mistakes. Lets look at an example. The | | | | lets say a crew heard a small vibration on a flight. |
| attack on 9/11 didn't happen because U.S Customs | | | | The crew will investigate that vibration using |
| failed to discover that terrorist was attempting to slip | | | | resources like the checklist, checking with the flight |
| into the country. The attacks on 9/11 happened | | | | attendants, the passengers, or calling maintenance |
| because the U.S. Government made a series of | | | | while in flight so as to solve the problem of finding |
| mistakes from the CIA, DOD, Customs, FAA, & | | | | the source of that vibration. In otherwords, |
| FBI. Similarly, when you have an airline accident usually | | | | everyone including passengers have an input when it |
| there are a group of people who made mishaps that | | | | comes to safety. All it takes to avoid an accident is a |
| contributed to the accident from the pilots, air traffic | | | | well trained crew using CRM to avoid that critical |
| controllers, maintenance etc. However, one of the | | | | chain of events, or recognizing when you started |
| reasons why flying is so safe is because the same | | | | that chain & recovering from it. In the real world |
| group of people are maintaining situational awareness | | | | when a captain of a flight notices that a error in |
| to provide you a safe flight. Statistics also say it | | | | judgement were made, the captain will evaluate that |
| would take a B737 to crash everyday for a year, | | | | mistake, risk, remedy, & refocus on methodically |
| & it would still be 25,000 years before your | | | | paying attention to details to continue a safe flight. |
| number to be up. | | | | |