In this module, we will learn about language as a human factor in aviation.

There are three important messages that we will cover in this module. one
language affects Aviation safety in many ways two the investigation of
language factors is not standardized. 3 a taxonomy of Aviation communication
factors Help the industry better understand. language as a human factor in
aviation

Will begin with some history of language factors in aviation. icao identified
accidents with language as possible Factor remember that every accident is
caused by multiple factors.

most of these accidents that you see here are well known. for example many
Aviation professionals have heard of the runway collision at Tenerife. in each of
these accidents language appears in the accident report And accident
investigators indicated that language may have been a factor. in Milan a pilot
did not follow an air traffic control taxi clearance.

The accident report does not clarify if English use or English proficiency was a
factor. however accident investigators recommended that the Ikea requirements
regarding the usage of English language shall be enforced. in the year 2000
there was a Runway Collision in Paris. accident investigators determine that the
use of two languages in a single operating environment contributed to the
accident.

a French air traffic controller gave a takeoff clearance to a French pilot in

French. Then he told an English-speaking pilot in English to line up and wait. at
an intersection further along the runway in front of the French aircraft. That
controller pulled the British Pilots that they were number two for takeoff. British
Pilots could not see the French aircraft.
And so they turned onto the runway. and into the path of the French aircraft that
was on their takeoff roll.

in 1996 a mid-air Collision occurred over India. the accident involved Saudi
Arabian Airlines and Kazakhstan Airlines after this accident the Indian
government proposed English language requirements to IKEA Now, let's take a
closer look.

in that accident Saudi Arabian Airlines had been cleared to flight level 140

Air Traffic Control instructed the pilots of Kazakhstan Airlines to maintain 150

Air Traffic Control also warned Kazakhstan Airlines of reciprocal traffic maintain
150

identified traffic 12 o'clock reciprocal Saudia Boeing 747-14 miles report insight.

The Kazakh aircraft did not follow air traffic control instructions to maintain 150.

kazak Pilots response to the controllers alert not indicate comprehension of the
air traffic controllers message.

that is The pilot responded but he did not respond appropriately. air traffic
control instructions the controller again worn traffic in one13 miles level 140

Casa pilot understood the air traffic control messages kazak aircraft continued
to descend He had a level bust and tragically he collided with this flight level
140 in this mid-air Collision language affected Aviation safety pilot Air Traffic
Control Communications were not clear

language effects Aviation safety in many ways not only pilot and air traffic
control Communications Communications between pilots and air traffic
controllers are the easiest to notice. the Ikea rating scale and Iko language
proficiency requirements address the speaking and listening between pilots and
air traffic controllers.

But speaking and listening proficiency also impacts Aviation safety and other
context. pilots and other crew members may use English as the common
language for crew Resource Management when they do not share a native
language. furthermore Pilots often speak with passengers cabin crew and other
airport Personnel in English

flight instructors and student Pilots may use English as a foreign language
during Flight Training. Reading is important. too for example, many manuals like
maintenance and flight manuals are written in complex English. pilots and
maintenance technicians read operational manuals in English to learn about
their aircraft on board an aircraft

Pilots read reference handbooks to manage unusual situations they use flight
management systems, which use English? much Aviation safety information
such as the information on skybrary is published in English. As you can see
language affects Aviation safety in many ways.

the second important message in this presentation., is that the investigation of

language is not standardized? in some accidents the role of language is clear.
often the role of language as a factor in an accident is not very clear.

to illustrate this point let's talk about the crash. of Avianca Flight 052 in New
York sometimes language is one of those nagging issues. You can just sort of
sense it sometimes beneath the surface.
nagging means a worry in the back of your mind. a nagging issue is something
you keep thinking about? But you're not sure. former NTSB director very
sweeter was speaking about the crash of Avianca Flight 052 he said that
accident investigators worried that language might have been a factor in the
accident.

But that it was difficult. clearly identify how language was a factor. it is often not
easy for accident investigators. to ident ify language factors

remember that accidents are usually a caused by multiple factors accident

investigators are experts at identifying technical. operational and other human
factors So let's consider the technical and operational factors of Avianca Flight
052

The weather was poor. The airspace was congested. Controllers were busy.
Then the aircraft encountered wind shear on a landing attempt. And had to go
around. because of these factors they completely exhausted their fuel supply
and they crashed near the airport.

as we mentioned accident investigators are very good at identifying these

Technical and operational factors.

It is more difficult for investigators to clearly identify. language factors

investigators sensed that language may have been an underlying Factor. They
sensed possible language problems. But it was difficult for them to confirm that
language was a factor in the chain of events that led to the accident.

Language was a nagging concern. Let's take a look at the evidence for possible
language factors. accident investigators noticed that the pilot never declared an
emergency. The pilot never used the word emergency. He did not say may day
may day may day.

He did not say pan pan. So what did the pilot say? Several times he told Air
Traffic Control. We just running out of fuel. however we just running out of fuel
is incorrect English grammar. it might mean

We're just getting a little low on fuel. That is not what the pilot needed to
communicate to air traffic control. in addition the captain did not appear to
understand his first officers English Communications to air traffic control. It is
important that all Pilots monitor Air Traffic Control Communications.

everyone agrees that language is an important part of Aviation safety. but

language factors are difficult for accident investigators to understand. accident
investigators sometimes sense language is a factor. but identifying and
analyzing language factors is still difficult for Aviation safety experts.

each of these dots could be a possible language Factor such as a

comprehension problem.

like with Kazakhstan Airlines over India. or a grammar problem like in the
Avianca accident.

Aviation safety specialist and accident investigators need tools and training to
help identify and analyze possible language factors. human factors and Aviation
are complex. Communication is a fundamental part of human factors.

Of course language is a fundamental part of communication. And language is

complex, too. a taxonomy of Aviation communication factors can help Aviation
safety experts better understand language as a human factor. The taxonomy is
in the Embry-Riddle handbook for accident investigators.

the taxonomy and handbook are tools that can help safety professionals better
understand language as a human factor in aviation. Let's take a look at the
taxonomy. taxonomy identifies four kinds of communication factors language
related communication factors cultural communication factors

technical communication factors and procedural communication factors

sometimes technical factors affect communication for example radio
interference is a technical communication Factor. Sometimes procedural factors
can affect communication. Aa readback error is an example of a procedural
Factor.

Aviation safety experts understand Technical and procedural factors very well.
culture also influences Communications a co-pilot who does not correct a
captain's error. might be an example of a cultural Factor. for more examples of
cultural Technical and procedural communication factors. You can review the
Embry-Riddle handbook.

cultural Technical and procedural communication factors are better understood

by Aviation professionals. You may notice that language is highlighted in the
taxonomy. This is because the purpose of the taxonomy is to clarify language
factors. Let's consider some language factors. speaking ability affects Aviation
safety

the Ikea rating scale addresses speaking abilities for pilots and air traffic
controllers pronunciation structure vocabulary and fluency are included in the
Iko rating scale. when someone fails to communicate important information that
is a clue that may indicate a language problem. Silence can also indicate a
language problem.

in addition speaking too fast is a bad Aviation language strategy. speaking too
fast on the radio can cause comprehension problems. Sometimes there is
evidence of a listening comprehension problem. when Pilots or controllers fail to
respond appropriately including no response at all.

Language may be the hidden Factor. evidence of listening comprehension

problems can also include an inaccurate read back. again silence might indicate
a language problem, too.

Here is an example. in 2002 Air China flight 129 crashed in Korea. The aircraft
was making a circling approach to the runway. Remember, there are always
multiple factors that cause an accident. in this case the weather was poor.

Visibility was limited. pilate's lost situational awareness They crashed into a
mountain north of the runway. Air Traffic Control asked Air China. Can you
Landing? the pilot responded to the air traffic controller question. But he did not
answer the controller's question. pilot gave an inappropriate response

That can indicate a possible language comprehension problem. Have you ever
considered that even writing can affect Aviation safety? For example writing is
an important skill for data link communication. how Aviation manuals are written
is also a factor in aviation safety.

Some accidents may have happened because manuals were translated poorly.
Writing is an important skill but in general reading proficiency is a more urgent
issue in the aviation industry. limited reading proficiency during training Can
affect operational proficiency? Aviation professionals must be able to read and
follow written instructions.

Pilots controllers and maintenance technicians all may need to learn important
safety information from written text. poor reading proficiency can make
understanding operational and safety manuals difficult. poor reading proficiency
can impact a pilot's operational expertise.

It can have a negative effect. on a pilot's aircraft systems knowledge

Remember that icao identified several accidents with language as a possible

Factor? This led to the adoption of the icao language proficiency requirements.
You've also learned that the investigation of language in aviation accidents is
not standardized. For this reason a team at Embry-Riddle research.

an aviation student database the research team identified more than 20

accidents in which language appears as a possible Factor. Here are some
examples. Take a moment to read this list. of some of the accidents identified
complete the table in your listening guide in your workbook. What did you
notice?

Did you notice that reading proficiency appears as a factor? Reading proficiency
can affect Aviation safety. Such as how manuals are written. Did you also notice
that crew Resource Management appears? Aviation is endingly Multicultural
industry. in an aircraft

on the flight deck Pilots with different first languages often use English for crew
Resource Management Communications to summarize the focus of the Iko
language requirements is pilot and air traffic controller Communications.
However, we have learned that language effects Aviation safety in many ways.

We also learned that the investigation of language is not standardized. It's

important that Aviation safety experts better understand the role of language as
a human factor in aviation. the taxonomy of Aviation communication factors can
help Aviation experts better understand language as a human factor in aviation.
when accident investigators come across possible language factors

They have a hard time connecting the dots. raising awareness about language
factors like picking this course is one way to help Aviation professionals better
understand language as a human factor in aviation. better tools and training will
assist Aviation safety experts. to connect the dots on language factors in
aviation.