Commercial Aviation Safety_ 7th Edition Chapter 3 Questions
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Industrial Engineering
Date
Jan 9, 2024
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Commercial Aviation Safety: 7th Edition Chapter 3 Questions (Answered)
1.
What is an accident and where are aviation accidents and incidents defined?
An Accident, particularly when talking about aircraft and aviation, refers to an event that
occurred during any phase of a flight operation that involved a fatality, any serious injury, or
substantial damage to the aircraft. The standards and recommended practices for the
investigation of aircraft accidents and incidents are outlined in the ICAO’s Annex 13. In the
USA, the way the US defines and investigates aviation accidents and incidents are outlined in the
FAR handbook, part 830.
2.
Give examples of thematic and episode framing in media reporting of aviation accidents.
Thematic framing mainly focuses on broader safety and regulatory issues in the aviation
industry, such as pointing out a series of accidents involving a particular aircraft type, in which
case media reports may begin to emphasize its design flaws or regulatory oversight. In the same
way, human error accidents prompt a response in which the media begin to explore the
implication of better CRM programs, fatigue management, and how automation affects aircraft
crews. Episode framing focuses on the specific detail of a particular accident, which usually
employs the leaking of information such as the flight number and circumstances surrounding the
incident, highlighting any survivor stories, investigation updates, and sometimes using episode
framing to show the mourning and recovery of the victims.Both of these are used to provide
immediate details of an aviation accident in a broader context than that of an expert source such
as the NTSB or FAA.
3.
What do you think motivated some Air New Zealand employees to deliberately provide
inaccurate information to the Flight TE-901 accident investigation. Would that happen
today?
Their motivations in providing inaccurate information to the NTSB was primarily rooted in
protecting their reputation, fear of legal consequences and charges of negligence,
miscommunication/misunderstandings, and pressures to close the investigation quickly, which
leads to incomplete information being presented. Today, there have been significant advances in
general safety cultures throughout the world, with developments in safety reporting systems,
better regulatory oversight from the FAA, better advancements in technology, and a cultural shift
towards emphasizing safety, transparency, and openness without fear of being reprimanded.
4.
Define necessary and sufficient conditions for any one of the accidents listed in this
chapter.
To put it simply, necessary conditions are criteria which must be present for an accident to occur,
and a sufficient condition is a criteria which will produce the said event when met with the
correct circumstances. In the case of Alaska 261, in the accident list at the end of the chapter, the
necessary condition for that accident was the use of that specific aircraft, N963AS, which had
been having issues in its jackscrew assembly within the horizontal stabilizer prior to the incident,
the other necessary condition for the crash was a failure of that said jackscrew. The sufficient
condition was the thread on the jackscrew tearing apart, leading to a loss of control.
5.
Explain the basic difference between linear causation and systems theory.
Linear causation is like a domino effect, or a chain of events oriented model, which views
accident as the result of a linear sequence of events occurring. It focuses on addressing specific,
isolated causes or failures, basically trying to find a “smoking gun” without considering broader,
systemic factors, and thus, also not addressing underlying systemic issues. Systems theory
recognizes that accidents are the result of a complex series of interactions among multiple
different factors. It takes a holistic perspective, emphasizing the need to understand the various
different elements of what makes aviation work, such as culture, training, technology, and
communication. Instead of trying to find a single root cause, the systems theory looks at all
contributing factors which may be an immediate or underlying cause, and recognizes that
accidents are usually caused by a combination of different factors.
6.
How could accident “myths” or storytelling be useful in aviation safety and risk
management?
Both promote being communicative, open, and truthful about incidents. Stories also humanize
safety by putting faces and emotions that we can relate with in front of the statistics we see,
leading to a more impactful statement. It also promotes a culture where people talk about and
learn from their mistakes, and are not afraid to share them because of fears of being reprimanded.
It creates a cultural impact in making sure everyone is sharing their experiences, thoughts, and
concerns in their safety culture to ensure no stone is left unturned when it comes to safety.
7.
On viewing the commercial accidents listed in this chapter, what themes or patterns can
you identify?
Some themes, patterns I identified were that most of these accidents weren’t usually one sole
cause, but a variety of different factors put together, like American Airlines 567 being not just
the cause of pilot error, but also bad training and so on. Most accidents usually result from an
accumulation of errors and failures instead of just one error. A lot of these accidents also have a
common trend of reaching the point where things go wrong right about when the pilot loses
situational awareness, which could be gradual or sudden. A lot of the accidents listed also are
rooted from bad emergency response, high stress decision making under pressure, lack of a plan
b, and an overreliance on automation, which cause communication breakdowns, complacy,
inadequate training and monitoring of flight systems. Organizational culture also played a role in
some of the accidents listed but better CRM training has mitigated a lot of those factors.
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