Aviation Management
Name
Institution
Summary
Rescue operations require a well-trained individual who is skilled to handle any extreme situation to achieve mission success. The manual focuses on how rescue personnel can be effectively trained to conduct rescue operations. It identifies mistakes in previous rescue operations to help come up with measures to guard against future errors. Models like the SHELL model, 5-Factor Model, Reason’s Model, HFACS, and TEM are examined as some of the root causes of accidents.
SHELL Model (Software (checklists, procedures, and training), Hardware (equipment), Environment, Liveware (human beings) and Liveware (the central interface or the operator/pilot), recognizes that Livewire (operator/pilot/human) is critical in ensuring safety and operations. However, human performance in these situations is affected by physical, physiological, psychological, and psychosocial factors. Physical factors include strength, height, vision acuity, and hearing. Physiological factors are diet, fatigue, medication, alcohol use, tobacco use, and altitude. Psychosocial factors include stress, divorce, and grief, while psychological factors that affect humans include, among others, motivation and judgment.
The 5-Factor Model identifies factors like Man, Machine, Medium, Mission, and Management that are causing accidents. It depicts how these factors affect each other. The mission is of the central focus in this Model as it possesses the highest risks and requires both the organization and operators to take those risks, as in the case of a helicopter rescue mission that requires efforts from the Human, Medium, Machine, and ultimately Management perspective.
Dr. James Reason developed reason’s Model, and it examines the accident causation chain from latent organizational issues through the operator and active defenses. Latent issues include decisions made by decision-makers, line management decisions, and preconditions. Unsafe acts also affect the inadequate defenses hence leading to accidents. HFACS Model was developed by Shappell and Weigman (2003) to organize, classify, and analyze specific errors. The further evolution of Reason’s Model identifies specific latent, active, and defensive issues. It identifies organizational influences like resource management, organizational climate, and organizational processes.
Unsafe supervision is caused by inadequate supervision, failure to correct problems, and supervisory violation. Preconditions for unsafe acts under personnel factors include personal readiness and crew resource management. The operator’s condition consists of his adverse mental state, physical state, and adverse physiological state. Environmental factors include both the physical and technological environment. Preconditions for unsafe acts involve errors and violations (Shappell and Weigman, 2003). Errors include skill-based, decision, and perceptual errors. Violations that may cause accidents are routine and exceptional
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Captain Dan Maurino developed TEM Model as an overarching safety concept regarding aviation operations and human performance (Maurino, 2005). It provides a classification safety system and focuses on operational understanding as it depicts causes and effects to find solutions (European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), 2014). It identifies human errors and threats. Human errors are either skill-based or mistakes that affect communication and aircraft handling.
Eurocopter N911AA Crash
The plane crashed in an attempt to perform a search and rescue operation due to deteriorating weather conditions. The pilot went on the mission without a briefing officer or final approval. He also sought an untrained aerial observer’s services, and the situation was further worsened by the aircraft entering into an Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IIMC).
Using the SHELL and 4Ps Analysis shows the operator was under stress despite being a highly motivated and decorated pilot (NTSB, 2014). He was forced to take up the mission as he intended to rescue a patient who hypothermic and required medical attention. SHELL Model demonstrates the pilot’s high motivation and rescue operations as a significant human factor. Supervision is vital for management to minimize risks. Despite identifying policies and procedures that could have prevented the accident, the focus remains on the pilot’s actions.
The 5 Factor Model shows how multiple factors overlap and set the preconditions that resulted in the accident. It recognizes that the lack of an IFR certified, and anti/de-ice capability reduced the pilot’s number of options (Magness, 2019). Reason’s Model analyzes all the latent organizational issues that failed to prevent the accident. Organizational deficiencies include a lack of emphasis on hiring a safety officer (Magness, 2019). HFACS Analysis identifies errors and violations that resulted in the accident. The pilot had several errors that were decision, skill, and perceptual. It was an error for the pilot to accept the mission. However, the management does not clearly define when to accept or reject a mission.
TEM analysis, which focuses more on operator errors, lacks significant emphasis on organization antecedents that help establish preconditions. Its actions however, lean more towards generating solutions more than classifying errors. It tends to identify unanticipated threats and find means to mitigate future risks. TEM enables the safety experts to identify why an event was unanticipated and to develop changes.
HH-60G Accident on Mount Hood
Hikers fell down the mountain claiming three hikers’ lives while three were injured (CNN, 2002). Two of the injured were rescued, but the third hiker had to wait till noon due to delays at the Air Force Rescue Centre (Darack, 2014). With the high noon temperatures and high wind speed, the aircraft required more power, making it crash.
SHELL Model shows the interaction between the aircrew and other factors, such as software, hardware, and the environment. The crew did not set a proper escape route in case of emergencies. Additionally, the aircraft was already heavy due to the configuration, which caused additional power required. The environment was extremely challenging, consisting of high-altitude mountain operations, warmer temperatures, and shifting winds (Greek Helicopters, 2020). As a result, the aircraft could not perform effectively in this environment and resulted in crashing.
The reason’s Model in this case is applied to show errors. From the management there was a delay in releasing the aircraft. Preconditions that led to the crash are the weight of the aircraft and limited power. High altitude, shifting winds and warm temperatures also led to the crash. The accident was further caused by inadequate defenses like a poor escape route. The 5 Factor model identifies the errors and how they interact with one another. Management delay, weather effects, machine, mission, and human factors collectively lead to the accident. HFAC Analysis and TEM analysis differ as TEM includes anticipated and unanticipated threats like weather.
Conclusion
Helicopter crashes are rare occurrences that are however deadly whenever they occur, hence require immediate response if lives are to be saved. Furthermore, approaching a crash site requires caution and personnel having proper training supported by proper equipment. The rescue personnel are required to be meticulous in their rescue operations to prevent further disasters that can be avoided when trying to save lives by airlifting victims from extremely dangerous conditions.
References
CNN. (2002). Copter crashes during Mount Hood rescue. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/30/oregon.mthood.accident/
Darack, E. (2014). Calamity on Mt. Hood. Retrieved from https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/calamity-hogback-180952139/
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). (2014). The principles of Threat and Error Management (TEM) for helicopter pilots, instructors and training organisations. Retrieved from https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/HE8.pdf
Greek Helicopters. (2020). Helicopter mountain flying tips. Retrieved from https://greekhelicopters.gr/helos/helicopter-mountain-flying-tips/
Magness, D. (2019). Case study N911AA, West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University
Maurino, D. (2005). Threat and Error Management (TEM). Canadian Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS). Retrieved from https://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/515.pdf
NTSB. (2014). Crash following encounter with instrument meteorological conditions after departure from remote landing site, Alaska Department of Public Safety, Eurocopter AS350 B3, N911AA, Talkeetna, Alaska, March 30, 2013. Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-14/03. Washington, DC
Shappell, S. & Wiegmann, D. (2009). A human error approach to aviation accident analysis: the human factors analysis and classification system. Aldershot: Ashgate.