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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 0023.PDF
fLIGHT International, 5 January I960 programme of development, but we do not have a serious demand yet from our customers. We are not yet sure of its value. But yes, the Huds are coming and there is no reason why they shouldn't be retrofitted. There is no unanimity yet in the world on Hud hardware." Leadership and management are the keys to air safety, said Brig-Gen Gary A. Willard, USAF. "The solu tion rides on the backs of leaders and senior managers. If they provide the leadership that is so necessary in flight operations and instill disciplined flight behaviour within their aircrews, maintenance people and support per sonnel, we will succeed," he said. "We must admire a pilot who will stick his neck out in reporting a fel low crewmember, in order to ensure that safety will not be jeopardised," said Capt W. S. Roxborough of CP Air. "As distasteful as this -action may seem, it can indicate a high degree of professionalism." If the world can get rid of small pox, why not also aircraft accidents? This was asked by Capt Shukat Khan, Pakistan International director of operations and air safety. The DC-10 investigation uncovered weaknesses in maintenance and certification, he said, and set us on the path to eliminate those weaknesses. But there had been lapses in the discipline of modern management, and "it is essential that the cause of the cause is established." He recommended a review of major accidents and disasters in the light of managerial failures. "No-one here can say that the faults which ultimately led to a disaster were not known to the industry. They were known well, and in time, but the discipline of man agement throughout the industry was inconsistent and in a state of slumber. In the end sorrow, humiliation and lost lives have paid the price." The excellence of the airline in- 21 "You cannot fly, think and talk at the same time" (TriStar) dustry's "achievements, popularity and the glory puts the industry in a lethargic mood," said Khan. "In con sequence management discipline throughout the system weakens. The fact is that complacency has crept in to the management process; when accidents happen managements try to find scapegoats and the process of buck-passing starts. Then everyone blames the other publicly and in the courts." A particular area of neglect, he said, was in the training of ground crew. "It is my conviction that the state of the art has already developed when a minor incident is analysed and so thoroughly dissected that the possi bility of its malignancy is nipped in the bud." The key characteristic of incident reports received by Nasa, reported Dr John K. Lauber, head of the aviation safety research group at Nasa Ames, is divided attention. "You cannot fly, think and talk at the same time." A classic accident, still talked about seven years after it happened, is the TriStar which crashed in the Ever glades near Miami while the crew was attempting to replace a faulty nose- gear light and "nobody was minding the store." Another example was an altitude change notified while the captain was talking to the passengers. The captain initiated the climb while talking, resulting in a "busted altitude and a near-miss." Dr Lauber of Nasa gave another example of divided attention. A flight engineer did not dump enough fuel for landing after an engine shutdown. The aircraft landed 77,0001b over weight at 172kt and l,000ft/min rate of descent. The flight engineer had calculated dump-time wrongly. He had calculated ^min when it should have been 12min. For some reason un- "If the world can get rid of smallpox, why not also aircraft accidents?"
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