The Interaction betweeen Pilots and the Automated Systems during the Landing Phase

Advances in technology and automation have contributed to the steady reduction of aviation occurrences during the last decades. The evolution of the modern aircraft and the complexity of its systems, however, has introduced new forms of human errors. Twelve commercial pilots with an average of 9,130 flying hours took part in this research. The Human Error Template (HET) technique was used as the research tool for the data collection, while the analysis of the error modes was conducted through an innovative likelihood and criticality matrix. The objective of the study was the analysis of potential automation-induced pilot errors during the performance of an automatic landing. Furthermore, through the evaluation of the relationships between pilots and aircraft systems, it was proposed to ascertain the frequency of human errors occurring during the autoland sequence, and to provide recommendations for future interventions concerning design, procedures, and pilots training. The findings indicate an excellent level of interaction, co-operation and co-ordination between aircraft systems and crew members. Nevertheless, distractions, interruptions and forgetfulness have been highlighted by the participants as common triggers of automation related pilot errors. The 'too late' selection on the Multipurpose Control and Display Unit (MCDU) of the Approach (APPR) PHASE mode, along with the 'missed' selection of the APPR button, and disconnections of the autopilots were indicated by the highest number of participants (91.7%) as the most common procedural error modes. Communications and calls from Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) have been stated as one of the major contributory factors for automation omission errors. Specific training and simulator sessions to address the most common pilot error modes, implementation of a modified landing checklists to include further cross-checks for these critical operations, and advancements in the datalink technology to reduce the communication between pilots and ATCs - thereby minimising disruptions, were proposed as possible solutions to mitigate or eliminate the problems.