Aircrew Coordination: we all talk about it; it’s part of what we do every time we fly. It’s as basic as a three way positive transfer of controls in the traffic pattern or as complicated as clearing the aircraft into a confined area, under goggles with zero moon illumination, or dealing with inadvertent IMC. We have all been through academic and flight training to enhance crew coordination in the aircraft, but the investigators at the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center continue to find cases where lapses in crew coordination directly contribute to serious accidents. Unfortunately, these lapses often occur during relatively routine situations.
NOT A TIME TO BE EXCESSIVELY POLITE
One of the shortcomings in crew coordination that often shows up in investigations is commonly referred to as “excessive professional courtesy.” This can be simply defined as an aircrew member, in most cases an inexperienced one, not communicating when he/she perceives a hazard because the other pilot “must know what he’s doing”. This reluctance to say anything to the more experienced aviator may be caused by a lack of personal confidence, overconfidence in the other aviator’s ability, uncertainty that there truly is a hazard, or even fear that there may be reprisals from the more experienced aviator.
Two examples from recent accident investigations demonstrate this crew coordination breakdown. Fortunately in both cases, all the crewmembers were available for interview by the accident board. In the first case, a UH-60 was conducting training under night vision goggles in an extremely dusty environment. The PI, who had been flying for most of the period, was a 600-hour aviator. The IP had over 8,000 hours of flight time and was highly respected for his abilities. On the takeoff that resulted in the accident, the IP was on the controls. As the aircraft took off into the dust cloud the PI and both crew chiefs sensed that the aircraft was in a left turn. None of them said anything over the intercom. They all became concerned when they didn’t break out of the dust and then the aircraft contacted the ground, rolled over, and was destroyed. The board found that the aircraft had indeed been in a left turn from immediately after takeoff. This left turn had changed a stiff right crosswind into a tailwind. Once the aircraft was in the tailwind condition, it couldn’t clear the dust cloud because the power application was not sufficient to establish a climb.
In the second case a helicopter was hovering close to an obstacle on a nearly perfect day. The crew had conducted the maneuver numerous times before and was confident in their ability to do it again. The more experienced IP was on the controls and closest to the obstacles. The PI was seated in the aircraft away from the obstacle, but thought the aircraft was lower and closer to the obstacle than in previous iterations. He didn’t say anything to the IP because he was sure the IP would maintain sufficient clearance. As the aircraft hovered and unloaded troops, the rotor system contacted the obstacle. The aircraft began to vibrate severely and was eventually destroyed in the accident.
In both of these cases, crewmembers knew that the operation was not going precisely as planned. They either sensed or saw that the pilot on the controls was doing something that was not expected. In both cases the deviation from the plan was small and not expected to cause any problems. AND IN BOTH CASES A QUICK COMMENT OVER THE INTERCOM COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE ACCIDENT!!!!!!!!
So as a crewmember, what do you do? First and foremost, everyone in the crew must understand his or her responsibilities as far as crew coordination is concerned. Experienced aviators must ensure their fellow crewmembers understand the responsibility to speak up if they think that something’s not quite right. The experienced members of the crew need to mentor less experienced members in the knowledge that while we all make individual mistakes on occasion, and only as an integrated, working crew can missions best be accomplished safely.
Lastly, for the “new guys”, know your responsibilities. Every aircraft’s aircrew training manual has standards for crew coordination. Know them and meet them. Talk to the Instructor Pilots, Unit Trainers, and Pilots in Command that you fly with. You will find that if you are familiar with the standards and demonstrate that you want to do things the right way, they will not only welcome it, but you may be able to mentor the old guys a little.
-- Aviation Systems & Investigations, DSN 558-2461 (334) 255-2461