Human Factors in Aviation

 Human Factors in Aviation


    Human factors in aviation are exactly that, human.  Multiple factors can affect decision-making when it comes to either flying or performing maintenance on an aircraft.  These factors include, but are not limited to experience, education, age, mental health, fitness, and more. All in all, people are not perfect, and it's up to us to try and alleviate any mistakes that could result from them. (Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. 2016) 

     


    When it comes to aircraft maintenance, there are many human factors that can cause unnecessary mistakes.  One of the most problematic factors would be communication.  Some maintenance tasks may take multiple shifts, days, weeks, or even months to complete.  Without proper communication, things may be missed or hardware may be improperly installed or not installed at all, which could lead to serious injury or death.  Another human factor that comes into play would be experience.  Either lack of experience or even too much experience can have negative impacts on aircraft maintenance.  Not having enough experience and being too proud to tell anybody could lead somebody to try and perform a difficult task, leading to damage to the aircraft or worse.  On the opposite side, having too much experience could lead somebody to believe that they don't need to follow the technical data, because they have performed this task hundreds of times, and may miss newly added steps or hardware changes.  This is why implementing training on a regular basis is very important and can help lead to the mitigation of aircraft mishaps. (Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. 2016)

References

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). (2016). Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK). Retrieved May 23, 2021, https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/


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