Human Factors in Aviation

 Human Factor Challenges in Aviation (by Diego Llorente)

Safety in aviation comes first. The importance of analyzing and studying the great challenges of the human factor in aviation is the second most important point. We can relate these concepts from a vision of aeronautical psychology, this being one of the strongest points to be considered in the last days of aviation. How Important Are Human Factors Challenges in Aviation?

The term is known as "human factors in aviation" has become increasingly popular over time for various reasons. First, the commercial aviation industry realized that the greatest consequence of accidents and incidents is caused by human error. About 80% of air accidents or incidents are caused by human error. To a lesser extent, the remaining 20% ​​is subdivided into mechanical failures, climatic factors, and other factors. 

The first concept of why human factors in aviation are very important since most aviation accidents and incidents are caused by human error. Llorente (2021) "90% of air accidents or incidents are caused by human error, mainly affected by stress, fatigue, and emotions. Pilots must always be prepared to work as a team. In aviation, it is important to study and human factors analysis with a principle known as CRM (Crew Resource Management) designed to stop the progression of a chain of operational errors. " (p. 55). This means that the study of human factors from a psychology approach can be considered as crew resource management, the so-called Crew Resource Management (CRM).

In aviation, the study of human factors involves making an exhaustive collection of information and data that expresses those possible capacities, limitations, and other human characteristics that can make its performance affect when interacting with work tools, for example, systems, machines, tasks, jobs, and the environment itself. By the way, the importance of human factors gives rise to an important study of understanding about how a pilot, in this case, can integrate more safely and efficiently with technology to mitigate risks and reduce the possible presence of errors. that would culminate in a possible accident or incident.

In the first instance, human factors must be studied from a particular perspective, Llorente (2021) "The control of emotions, fatigue, and stress will allow a pilot to make better decisions and have a better performance when it comes to being at the control of an aircraft. This will allow, to a certain extent, that the risks of accidents or incidents because of a chain of errors will be significantly reduced. "(p. 56). This interpretation allows the basic, human-airplane link to be more effective. There is no aviation if you pilot and there is no aviation without airplanes. The man-machine link is fundamental.

 In my book "El sueño de ser piloto comercial" (2021), and in several studies regarding human factors in aviation, the writer, Diego Llorente, stated that studying human performance from this perspective can take an important turn to mitigate the risks known as the outcome of poor decision making and without a doubt, external factors such as fatigue, stress and emotions undoubtedly affect the performance of the crew, CRM, Aeronautical Decision Making, among other factors. I express this criterion because it would be useful to increase operational safety and the design of some methods to help not only operators to better manage human errors and reduce the existing percentage of error, but also to facilitate better assistance to pilots or crew members. that they are under this delicate scenario.

In conclusion, aviation is a discipline that involves a lot of responsibility. Through the middle of the hands, many lives depend on their actions and the decision-making that is used. Llorente (2021) 99% of air accidents are the product of human error and these failures arise from poor decision-making, the focus on personal emotional situations, among others. For this reason, the mentality, the profile, and the criteria that are adopted will be key so that errors do not continue to occur that culminate in accidents or incidents. "(P. 37) Therefore, analyzing the study of human factors in aviation has a great challenge to mitigate all those possible actions, risks, and situations that can generate an adverse outcome in the development of the aeronautical activity.

References

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 7th Edition, 2020 Copyright (Seventh ed.). American Psychological Association.

Llorente, D. (2021). El sueño de ser piloto comercial: De América Latina a los Estados Unidos (Spanish Edition) (1st ed.). Editorial Autores de Argentina.