Human Factors in Aviation: Physiology, Judgment, Standardization, Automation, and Accident Investigation

Human Factors

The ways people perceive, decide, communicate, and physically function in aviation and how these characteristics interact with aircraft, procedures, and the environment.

Chain of Events

The sequence of small deviations, missed cues, assumptions, and pressures that lead to an accident.

Performance Limitations

Factors such as fatigue, attention limits, stress, and sensory illusions that affect human performance.

Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

The process of making choices based on incomplete information, such as weather judgments or fuel decisions.

Communication and Coordination

The effectiveness of crew interactions and their understanding with air traffic control.

Procedural Adherence

The degree to which pilots and crew follow established checklists and standard operating procedures.

System Design

The arrangement of cockpit layout, automation behavior, and displays that can influence pilot performance.

Pilot Error

A term often used to label an aviation accident that overlooks deeper factors contributing to the error.

Normal Human Limitations

Inherent physiological and psychological constraints that can affect human performance in flight.

Hazardous Attitudes

Thought patterns that predispose pilots to make risky decisions.

Antidote

A brief corrective self-statement that interrupts a hazardous attitude before it leads to action.

Anti-Authority

A hazardous attitude characterized by a disregard for regulations or instructions.

Impulsivity

A hazardous attitude leading to rapid, unplanned actions without considering consequences.

Invulnerability

A hazardous attitude causing pilots to underestimate risks, believing “it won’t happen to me.”},{