MERRY CHRISTMAS
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS REMOVED FROM A BOEING 777 COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER FROM AN AIRCRAFT FLYING OVER THE NORTH POLE ON DEC. 24, 2014.
“Those passengers sitting on the right side of the aircraft may have noticed eight reindeer and a sled with a fat man on it disappear into the No. 2 engine intake. We are pleased to report that all engine parameters are back to normal and we will not be delayed on our arrival into Vancouver.”
A Human Factors investigation, utilizing the “Dirty Dozen,” into this incident revealed the following.
SYNOPSIS Santa Claus was reported to be carrying out a test fl ight on his sleigh when he suff ered a near miss with the No. 2 engine of a Boeing 777. From information gathered from Mrs. Claus and witnesses, we have determined the following, each of which might have broken the chain of events that unfolded:
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS 1. Lack of Communication – Santa was not in communication with the ATC responsible for that airspace. Had he been, the collision likely would have been avoided.
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2. Complacency – Santa always departed the North Pole in this direction as he had done hundreds of times before. That would have put the sun low on the horizon and directly into his face.
3. Lack of Knowledge – Santa did not know how to conduct the required IFR fl ight in the controlled airspace.
4. Distraction – Santa was last seen trying to operate his new cell phone. Mrs. Claus was trying to contact him at the time.
5. Lack of Teamwork – Santa is believed to have seen the 777 at the last second and pulled the reindeer hard to the right. The reindeer were believed to be trying to go hard left at the time.
6. Fatigue – Due to toy production problems, Santa is known to have been up for at least 36 hours without sleep prior to the test fl ight.
7. Lack of Resources – There was a chronic shortage of materials for toy making and more elves were needed to complete the work on schedule.
8. Pressure – With only 20 days to go before Christmas Eve, Santa was under enormous pressure to complete all the requested toys on time.
9. Lack of Assertiveness – Santa was in dire need of more help to deliver the toys to the ever- increasing number of boys and girls or more time was required (i.e., delivery over two days). He had not considered either option.
10. Stress – Santa was under enormous stress to complete all the work on time. He was also reported to be very concerned with the gross weight of the sled.
11. Lack of Awareness – Santa was unaware that times had changed over the years and he had failed to change with the times.
12. Norms – Santa was following all the normal procedures as he had done for hundreds of years before.
SYSTEM ERRORS Known facts: 1. Santa Claus lived at the magnetic North Pole which is in Canada and thus he was a Canadian citizen.
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