Human factors
Introduction
Aviation accidents are majorly contributed by human errors which include the communication problems and the pilot error. An accident that involved the American Airlines Flight 1420 in 1999 was contributed mainly by the pilots’ error of failing to stop an approach of a hazardous thunderstorm. Due to the error, the pilots were not able to control the airplane hence hitting tubes protruding at the end of the runaway. The airplane then crossed the security fence into a flood plain where it encountered collision with the runaway support structure, causing severe damage. According to the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB), the pilots did not respond immediately due to fatigue influenced by the unexpected circumstance. The flight crew resorted to trying an emergency landing which was not possible at the moment due to extreme crosswind. Thirteen people including the captain died on the spot and 105 experienced injuries while the remaining 24 went out safe (Proseus, 2000).
Cockpit Errors
A large percentage of the error that led to the accident is believed to have come from the cockpit. From the records, it can be shown that the flight crew was informed earlier of the weather conditions at Little Rock and they had to speed to land before the thunderstorm were extreme. Despite the information the crew did not act accordingly while believing that they were still safe and could land smoothly. The crew seemed to neglect the instructions from the operator. Even after being warned of the crosswind, the flight crew still insisted that they are sure of safe landing and not afraid of the increasing crosswind limits (28 knots). The controller alerted them of the changing wind speed and that they have stick to landing on runaway 22 but they rejected and decided to land on 4 right runaway. Their decisions were not good hence causing the accident
Preconditions
As much as it is attributed that the cause of failure is from the crew, it can be shown that it was influenced by the environmental factors i.e. the adverse weather conditions and poor communications (Condit, 2006). The operators were aware of the weather conditions at Little Rock upon which the departure was delayed for some time. However, their decision finally was that the condition will subside after some time hence allowed the departure. The severe thunderstorms at Little Rock were the reason for delay. When the airplane was approaching the airport, the flight crew was informed of the thunderstorms. The crew also saw lightning when they were approaching the airport, and instead of changing the airport they only changed the landing direction in the same airport. The crosswind was changing with a range 28 – 35 knots which were not safe at all besides the rain and mist. At the extent the crew was fatigued and they were not able to control the plane anymore (Brown & Masor, 2017).
Supervisory
The supervisory committee might have also failed in a way by allowing the departure of the airplane despite knowing the information about weather conditions at Little Rock airport. The crew was trained according to the Fleet Manager. They pilots have undergone all kinds of training relevant to flights and approach as well as landing procedures (Wang & Nong, 2017). Considering the relationship between the Captain and the first officer it is obvious that the committee failed while selecting them since they were both poor decision-makers. The committee failed also in giving appropriate directives to the crew regarding to safe landing options such as diverting to a different airport (Bramble, 2017).
Organization and Oversight
The organization’s oversight team was not efficient in decision-making relating to allocating the flight crew as well as the control team. From the analysis done by several agencies, we can see that the selected team was not the best combination for that flight. Their policies were not also effective enough and could be easily violated by the pilots and the controllers. American airlines did not have direct oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration Oversight (FAA) (Dismukes et al., 2018).
Conclusions and Recommendations
On analyzing the various factors that contributed to the accident it can be shown that human factors are the main contributors. The flight crew although qualified, experienced and no records of medical ethical failure, contributed a larger percentage in the accident. The airplane was also in good condition. The crew neglected the alerts that were given by the operators and the controllers about the weather conditions. The organization as well as the supervisory committee might have also failed in giving directives and certification.
The following recommendations can be made relating to the organization’s policies, certification and supervision:
• The FAA should ensure that the engine and the spoiler should involve pressure ratio and effective deploy respectively for easier response by the flight crew.
• The FAA should certify all the training programs to improve effectiveness.
• The organization should ensure effective supervisory measures and policies to ensure effective operations.
• Effective selection of the flight crew and the controllers.