Systems engineering: language obstacles and the impact on flight deck engineering, crew performance and operational safety in airline operations

Abstract

Flight deck crew alerting systems (FDCAS) (e.g., alert systems and technical documentation) are critical systems that aid flight crew members with situation awareness and executing decisions regarding system and flight path status. Information misinterpretation by English as a second language (ESL) flight crew members has been noted to impact communication on the flight deck. Some of these challenges are related to: comprehension of system status messages, spoken and written English on the flight deck, and decision-making processes regarding flight path status. This paper examined a series of interview schedule questions and responses from ESL airline pilots. Results from flight crew narratives indicated that ESL flight crew members' were challenged by the use of English written technical information. Challenges were related to alert displays, as well as associated written technical documentation [e.g., flight crew operating manual (FCOM)/quick reference handbook (QRH)] in normal/non-normal conditions.