Bajaj, B; (2019) Human factors in risk communication: Exploring pilot-controller 'communication awareness'. In: Federici, FM and O’Brien, S, (eds.) Translation in cascading crises. (pp. 199-218). Routledge: London, UK and New York, US.

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Abstract

Following the 1977 Tenerife disaster, Billings and Cheaney (1981) concluded that pilots/controllers are not aware enough of the extensive problems involved in transferring information between each other which contribute to miscommunications. Since then, extensive advances have taken place regarding pilot-controller communications, including Crew Resource Management training, improving radiotelephony phraseology, and redesigning English language training/assessment. Despite these measures though, miscommunications still abound with increasing safety risks (e.g. Eurocontrol, 2006a; 2006b; Barshi and Farris, 2013; Bajaj and Majumdar, 2016). Bajaj and Majumdar have raised the question of why there are still so many problems considering the substantial improvements made and surmise that Billings and Cheaney’s observation of a lack of awareness being contributory could still be valid. Although occasionally mentioned, this notion has barely received attention in pilot-controller communication studies. Following the review of related work, voice recordings containing miscommunications from an accident flight are analysed to see whether communication awareness is detectable and to establish its impact. As there is no common method for analysing it, Nevile’s (2006) conversation analysis method for communication in interaction appears the most feasible one. The results show that communication awareness is identifiable by cues signalling it and contributed to the miscommunications.

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