Human Factor in the Crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 - Research Paper Example

 The airplane was a new model that ended up in a tragic accident which led to the death of 98 people inclusive of three crew members who were on board. The total number of passengers on board was 163 inclusive of the crew. Due to the desperate and poor communication in the cockpit, it was evident that none of the crew members saw any unusual thing about the flight before they crashed. Later, looking at he records, it was realized that the flight had landed at an approximate rate of 200 feet as per every minute taken. As the flight was going on, everything seemed alright so the crew was just relaxed. It was then that they discovered that that the nose gear was missing and was not fully locked down to the position it normally is. The light indicator for the nose gear was also meaning that that particular warning could not be detected in case of any. This is the landing gear which is normally at the front of the plane. The air traffic control was informed of a missed approach by a captain who had operated for a period of 30,000 hours worth of flights. They had missed the first landing and he was asking for grounds to try yet another landing. This was to buy him more time to confirm whether or not he had a landing problem with his gears. He was a man who had served in this field for long therefore, panicking was not any part of his schedule. All he asked for was more time to detect the problem that he was encountering before he could land at any given time. This was because, he was aware of the danger based on such a situation. Because of the missed approach, he climbed 200 feet above the ground heading to the westerly sides. The emergency crew was not focused on the facts of the dangers that they were facing during the landing process. They were only focused on the fact that they were flying a new TriStar that they were flying for the first time. They were not even aware of the fact that they were housing 163 passengers whose lives were in danger. Such events have happened in the past but there was a safe landing always. They are totally aware of the risk that the situation posed to the passengers therefore, they should have taken action. To that effect, they should have been ready with the emergency team on the move o that they are in a position to save life as in other instances before. This was a simple situation that could not lead to the death of all those people if the crew members were alert after noticing the situation. There is always a risk of fire in such landings but they are some things that can be avoided. An engineer was sent to look at the problem that the plane was facing the flight and the landing. It was believed to be an engineering rather an electronic problem that caused the crash. Looking at the situation, we realize that the crew on board was not keen enough to realize the problem before time. They were also not ready to perform a rescue mission on the passengers. If they were keen enough to get ready for the disaster, less damage would have occurred. It so happens that due to their ignorance, three of them also died in the crash. All this was a matter that would have been taken care of within the time that the pilot was still buying time to budget for a second trial on landing. According to the management, that was a small issue that could not have caused a situation like that. This cannot be based on possibilities but on facts of all that happened in the situation. A maintenance specialist in the plane talked to the crew about the situation so that they would get ready for any situation. (Driskell E, Salas E p,130) He later went back to the electronic bay, but no action was taken. Two warnings were sounded to the crew but they did do anything about it. The whole situation was a technical problem that could have been avoided had the crew been keener when they were told about the situation. This means that the arrogance within the crew has to be taken care of. As much as the crew members are to blame, there was a technical hitch also therefore that means that they were not keen enough. Technician should have checked the plane before departure. It could be that they ignored checking the technical hitches on the plane based on the fact that it was a new air craft. No one would think that a new aircraft could be missing something or could be having a technical problem. Meaning that it had not been used therefore there was no possibilities of it having any cases of being worn out hence miss a part as important as a nose gear. The technical team needs to be keen on every plane before it goes to the sky. This is because; they are a trained team who are supposed to be there in case of such situations so that they avoid such happenings. A proper report on the capability of the plane should be given so that they are sure of all the things that could be going on with the aircraft. The management should also follow all the occurrences within the aircraft such that they are aware of all the operation within the organization. This goes a long way to explain how some of the accidents happen. The crew is also to blame for the loss of life. Because of their ignorance, many lives were lost on a situation that they would so easily controlled. The crew are supposed to be strong so that they are ready for the calamity. It so happens that the crew members are supposed to be trained and be ready for the situation. The excitement could have been controlled because sure as it is, they have taken flight in new aircrafts before. This could not have been their first time. They were a letdown because, they are qualified people who are aware of what their jobs entail and should stick to that in any situation. Because of excitement and ignorance, innocent lives were lost and a new aircraft crashed. All in a situation that could have been avoided whatsoever. Air cashes happen all over but there are some ways that they could be managed. They could occur because of weather factors, technical problems and carelessness which is a human factor that in most cases can be avoided. Crew members need top be told of the situations that they put people through and for such cases; there should be repercussions in case they survive. Taking in a well trained team is also advisable. A person who has experience is better for the employment because they would know how to act and how to control such an excitement. References Wickens D, Mavour S, McGee J,(2008) National Research Council: Flight to the future. National Academy press. Washington. Driskel E, Salas E: (2009) Stress and human performance 1996. Lawrance Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Mahwah. Read More