CABIN CREW


Better safe than sorry


Speak up if you see safety problem. Staff writers


I


n these days of locked cockpit doors, communication between flight and cabin crew has never been so impor- tant. With most contact between the


flight deck and cabin via the interphone, CASA cabin safety inspector Susan Rice says pilots and cabin crew should consider the effectiveness of how they are communicating which each other. “Being mindful of each spoken word and


how it may be interpreted is something that must be recognised as a vital component of crew coordination and effectiveness,” she says. “Most airline operators in Australia have


implemented their own crew resource management (CRM) programs in recent years. A vital tool in building these sessions is to utilise the findings that have resulted from incidents that have occurred within their companies. Tis can provide valuable lessons for all aircrew and highlight any problems that are impeding communication.” CASE STUDY 1: A commercial flight was taking off in the early morning in a cold climate. From the cabin, a flight atten- dant noticed heavy snow build-up on the wings. However, the flight attendant did not


speak to the pilot-in-command about her observation because on previous occasions when she’d brought concerns to flight crew in the same company, she had been rebuffed and made to feel stupid. When the aircraſt took off, it was unable


to gain altitude and crashed into trees near the runway killing 24 of the 69 people on board. CASE STUDY 2: Two flight attendants travelling at the back of an aircraſt realised there was something wrong on takeoff and decided to go to the front (to respect inter- phone silence) to see whether it had been


44 FLIGHT SAFETY AUSTRALIA MARCH–APRIL 2007


noticed. When they got there the purser was already in contact with the captain who informed them there were some prob- lems on the flight deck and he would let cabin crew know as soon as possible what was happening. In the ensuing five minutes the flight


attendants focused on staying relaxed and alert and revised their emergency procedures. Te passengers became aware that the


aircraſt was going around in circles so the purser made an announcement informing that the captain would speak as soon as he could, which he did straight away. In a clear and reassuring way he told


passengers there was a problem and the that flight would need to return to the airport. He then asked cabin crew to prepare the cabin for a heavy landing. Te aircraſt landed safely and engineers


fixed the problem. Cabin crew were given an extensive


debriefing so they understood what had happened and had the opportunity to share their own views. To the crew involved, this was a clear


example of a professional, united team with excellent communication between all sections. Tere was an open, honest and professional approach by each person in their specific role and this naturally led to good teamwork. As one flight attendant said: “We were happy about the decision of the flight crew


to turn back and we tried to help those passengers who became grumpy to under- stand why. It’s better to be on the ground wishing to be in the air than the other way around!” Communication and teamwork are the


backbone of flight safety and an essential component of airline training. But sometimes issues can impede


communication between cabin and cockpit. In CRM Advocate, Lucy Young from US Air says they can include: “complacency, distraction, confusion, fatigue, peer pres- sure, poor situational awareness, ‘signifi- cant others’, stress or supervisory pres- sure.” Young calls these problems “barriers”


because “they can distort or block infor- mation transfer, or cause communication not to be initiated at all.” However, she has a solution. “Any of


these can be overcome by interaction with other crew members who can, through teamwork, bring the original crew member back into the loop or help them advocate their concern to the captain.” Te captain’s reaction to the cabin crew’s


approach is important, as can be seen with case study 1. In this incident, the flight attendant decided not to tell flight crew about snow on the wings because of bad experiences in the past when she had approached pilots with her concerns. Young says the best captain is “authori- tative enough to command the flight


Surface Contamination 18


PHOTO: TOM KEATING


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