Errors in air-ground pilot communication: an experimental study

Autores

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/2318-7115.2020v41i3a5

Palavras-chave:

Aviation English, English as a second language, communication errors

Resumo

Understanding aviation communication has obvious implications for flight safety and for the training of pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs). Its study also sheds light on the use of Aviation English as a type of English for a very specific purpose and on real-world communication constraints in a high-stakes environment. We present results from a study combining human factors and linguistics, in which pilots were recorded in flight simulator experiments probing communication accuracy under diverse conditions. An analysis of the audio recordings in terms of whether errors were omissions or mistakes, whether errors occurred with words or numerals, and which types of aviation information were affected, revealed complex interactions between language background, pilot qualification, workload and ATC speech rate. The differences between native English speakers (NES) and non-native English speakers (NNES) are complex and more nuanced than might be expected. These results not only are relevant for aviation safety, training and testing, but they also provide insights on communication under challenging conditions and on the relation between language proficiency and cognition, with implications for second language teaching and the use of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in highly constrained environments.

Metrics

Carregando Métricas ...

Biografia do Autor

Dominique Estival, Western Sydney University

Dominique Estival holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania (USA) and a Commercial Pilot License. She is a current Flight Instructor for general and recreational aviation in Australia and was approved as an assessor for General English Language Proficiency (GELP) and Level 6 AELP by CASA (the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority). She is a researcher at the MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University, Australia, and the co-author of Aviation English: A Lingua Franca for Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (2016).

Brett Robert Charles Molesworth, University of New South Wales

Brett Molesworth is an Associate Professor in the School of Aviation at UNSW Sydney. He is a Human Factors specialist with qualifications in Psychology (PhD and is a registered Psychologist in Australia) and in Aviation (BAv Hons and Commercial Pilot Licence). Brett’s research focuses on understanding human performance in complex socio-technical environments.

Referências

AGENZIA NAZIONALE PER LA SICUREZZA DEL VOLO. 2004. Accident involved aircraft Boeing MD-87, registration SE-DMA and Cessna 525-A, registration D-IEVX Milano Linate airport October 8, 2001. Rome, Italy.

AIP. 2005. Aeronautical Information Publication. edited by Airservices Australia. Canberra, Australia: Airservices Australia.

ATSB. 2009. Perceived threats, errors and safety in aerial work and low capacity air transport operations. Canberra, Australia: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

BADDELEY, A.D. 2000. The episodic buffer: a new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Science 4.11: 417-423.

BARSHI, I.; C. FARRIS. 2013. Misunderstandings in ATC Communication. Ashgate Studies in Human Factors for Flight Operations. Farnham, England: Ashgate.

BIESWANGER, M. 2013. Applied Linguistics and Air Traffic Control: Focus on Language Awareness and Intercultural Communication. In HANSEN-SCHIRRA, S.; K. MAKSYMSKI (Eds.). Aviation Communication: Between Theory and Practice. Frankfurt/Main, Germany: Peter Lang Verlag. p. 15-32.

------------. 2016. Aviation English: Two distinct specialised registers? In SCHUBERT, C.; C. SANCHEZ-STOCKHAMMER (Ed.). Variational text linguistics: Revisiting register in English. Berlin: DeGruyter, p. 67-85.

BOROWSKA, A. 2017. Avialinguistics: The study of language for aviation purposes. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

BURKI-COHEN, J. 1995. Analysis of tower ground controller-pilot voice communication. Washington DC, USA: Federal Aviation Administration.

CARDOSI, K.M. 1993. An analysis of en route controller-pilot voice communications. Cambridge, MA, USA: Federal Aviation Administration.

CLARK, B. 2017. Aviation English Research Project: Data analysis findings and best practice recommendations. Civil Aviation Authority (Civil Aviation Authority). Available at: <https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?catid=1&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=7802>.

COHEN, J. 1988. Statistical power analysis for behavorial sciences. New York, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum.

CUSHING, S. 1994. Fatal words: Communication Clashes and Aircraft Crashes. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.

CUTLER, A. (Ed.) 1982. Slips of the tongue and language production. Vol. 19-7/8 [Special issue of Linguistics]: Mouton.

DÖRNYEI, Z.; E. USHIODA (Eds.) 2009. Motivation, language identity and the L2 self. Bristol, UK.: Multilingual Matters.

DRURY, C.G.; J. MA. 2002. Language Error Analysis - Report on Literature of Aviation Language Errors and Analysis of Error Databases. Report prepared for the FAA. University of Buffalo, State University of New York, USA.

ESTIVAL, D. 2016. Aviation English: A linguistic description. In: ESTIVAL, D.; C. FARRIS; B. MOLESWORTH (Ed). Aviation English: A lingua franca for pilots and air traffic controllers. New York: Routledge, p. 22-53.

________. 2018. What Should We Teach Native English Speakers? International Civil Aviation English Association (2018) Conference, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. Available at: <https://commons.erau.edu/icaea-workshop/2018/proceedings/>.

________. 2019. Aviation English Training for Native English Speakers: Challenges and Suggestions. International Civil Aviation English Association (2019), Tokyo, Japan. Available at: <https://commons.erau.edu/icaea-workshop/2019/proceedings/1/>.

ESTIVAL, D.; C. FARRIS; B.R.C. MOLESWORTH. 2016. Aviation English: A lingua franca for pilots and air traffic controllers. In: PALTRIDGE, B.; S. STARFIELD. (Ed.). Routledge Research in English for Specific Purposes. London, UK: Routledge.

ESTIVAL, D.; B.R.C. MOLESWORTH. 2009. A Study of EL2 Pilots Radio Communication in the General Aviation Environment. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics. 32.3: 24.1-24.16.

ESTIVAL, D.; B.R.C. MOLESWORTH. 2012. Radio Miscommunication: EL2 Pilots in the Australian General Aviation environment. Linguistics and the Human Sciences. 5.3: 351-78.

ESTIVAL, D.; B.R.C. MOLESWORTH. 2016. Native English speakers and EL2 pilots : an experimental study. In Aviation English: A Lingua Franca for Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers, In Routledge Research in English for Specific Purposes. London, UK: Routledge, p. 140-181.

EUROCONTROL. 2006a. European Action Plan for Air Ground Communications Safety, Edition 1.0, May 2006. Brussesl, Belgium: EUROCONTROL.

_______________. 2006b. Air-ground Communication Safety Study: Causes and Recommendations (Report # DAP/SAF 2006-09). Brussels, Belgium: European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

FARRIS, C.; P. TROFIMOVICH; N. SEGALOWITZ; E. GATBONTON. 2008. Air Traffic Communication in a Second Language: Implications of Cognitive Factors for Training and Assessment. TESOL Quarterly. 42.3: 397-410.

FIRTH, A. 1996. The discursive accomplishment of normality: on ‘lingua franca’ English and conversation analysis. Journal of Pragmatics. 26.

GAT, I.B.; R.W. KEITH. 1978. An effect of linguistic experience. Auditory word discrimination by native and non-native speakers of English. Audiology and Neurotology. 14.4: 339-345.

GOGUEN, J.; C. LINDE. 1983. Linguistic Methodology for the Analysis of Aviation Accidents. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA: NASA Contract Report 3741.

HUTCHINS, E. 1995. Cognition in the Wild. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press.

ICAO. 2001. Aeronautical Communications. Annex 10 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Montreal, Canada.

_____. 2010. ICAO Doc 9835. Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements, 2nd Edition. Chicago, USA: International Civil Aviation Organization.

_____. 2016. Annex 10 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation: International Standards and Recommended Practices and Procedures for Air Navigation Services, 7th edition. Montreal, Canada: International Civil Aviation Organization.

JANG, R.; B.R.C. MOLESWORTH; M. BURGESS; D. ESTIVAL. 2014. Improving Communication in General Aviation through the use of Noise Cancelling Headphones. Safety Science. 62: 499-504.

KIM, H. 2012. Exploring the construct of aviation communication: A critique of the ICAO language proficiency policy. Ph.D., Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, The University of Melbourne.

KIM, H.; R. BILLINGTON. 2016. Pronunciation And Comprehension In English As A Lingua Franca Communication: Effect Of L1 Influence In International Aviation Communication. Applied Linguistics: 1-25. Available at: <https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amv075>.

KIM, H.; C. ELDER. 2009. Understanding aviation English as a lingua franca: Perceptions of Korean aviation personnel. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics. 32: 23.1-23.17.

KLEINMANN, H.H. 1977. Avoidance behaviour in adult second language acquisition. Language Learning. 27: 93-107.

LABOV, W. 1972. Sociolinguistic Patterns. Philadelphia, PA, USA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

MELL, J. 2006. Emergency Calls - Messages out of the blue.

MODER, C.L. 2013. Aviation English. In Paltridge, B.; S. Starfield (Ed.). The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes, Malden MA, USA: Wiley Blackwell, p. 227-242.

MOLESWORTH, B.R.C.; M. BURGESS. 2013. Improving intelligibility at a safety critical point: In flight cabin safety. Safety Science. 51: 11-16.

MOLESWORTH, B.R.C.; M. BURGESS; B. GUNNELL; D. LOFFLER; A. VENJAKOB. 2014. The effect on recognition memory of noise cancelling headphones in a noisy environment with native and non-native speakers. Noise and Health. 16.17: 240-247.

MOLESWORTH, B.R.C.; D. ESTIVAL. 2015. Miscommunication in general aviation: The influence of external factors on communication errors. Safety Science. 73: 73-79.

MORROW, D.; A. LEE; M. RODVOLD. 1993. Analysis of problems in routine controller-pilot communication. International Journal of Aviation Psychology. 3.4: 285-302.

MORROW, D.; M. RODVOLD. 1998. Communication Issues in Air Traffic Control. In SMOLENSKY, M.W.; E.S. STEIN. (Ed.). Human Factors in Air Traffic Control. San Diego, USA: Academic Press, p. 421-456.

ORLADY, H.W.; L.M. ORLADY. 1999. Human factors in multi-crew flight operations. Aldershot, USA: Ashgate.

PALTRIDGE, B.; S. STARFIELD (Eds.) 2013. Handbook of English for Specific Purposes. Malden MA, USA: Wiley-Blackwell.

PRINZO, O.V. 2008. The computation and effects of air traffic control message complexity and message length on pilot readback performance. Measuring Behavior 2008, Maastricht, The Netherlands, August 26-29, 2008.

SAID, H. 2011. Pilots/Air Traffic Controllers Phraseology Study. Montréal, Québec: IATA.

SEIDLHOFER, B. 2011. Understanding English as a Lingua Franca. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

SHIMIZU, T.; K. MAKISHIMA; M. YOSHIDA; H. YAMAGISHI. 2002. Effect of background noise on perception of English speech for Japanese listeners. Auris Nasus Larynx. 29: 121-125.

TAYLOR, J.L.; J.A. YESAVAGE; D.G. MORROW; N. DOLHERT; J.O.B. III; L.W. POON. 1994. Effects of information load and speech rate on young and older aircraft pilots’ ability to read back and execute simulated ATC instructions. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. 49: 191-200.

TIEWTRAKUL, T.; S.R. FLETCHER. 2010. The challenge of regional accents for aviation English language proficiency standards: A study of difficulties in understanding in air traffic control-pilot communications. Ergonomics. 53.2: 229-239.

WU, Q.; B.R.C. MOLESWORTH; D. ESTIVAL. 2019. An investigation into the factors that affect miscommunication between pilots and air traffic controllers in commercial aviation. The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology: 53-63. Available at: <https://doi.org/10.1080/24721840.2019.1604138>.

Downloads

Publicado

2020-10-26

Como Citar

Estival, D., & Molesworth, B. R. C. (2020). Errors in air-ground pilot communication: an experimental study. The Especialist, 41(3). https://doi.org/10.23925/2318-7115.2020v41i3a5

Edição

v. 41 n. 3 (2020)

Seção

Artigos

Licença

Os autores concedem à revista todos os direitos autorais referentes aos trabalhos publicados. Os conceitos emitidos em artigos assinados são de absoluta e exclusiva responsabilidade de seus autores.