Analysis of Voice Transmissions of Air Traffic Controllers in the Context of Closed Loop Communication Deviation and its Relationship to Loss of Separation

Abstract

The present research examines a pattern-based measure of communications based on Closed Loop Communications (CLC) and non-content verbal metrics to predict Loss of Separation (LOS) in the National Airspace System (NAS). This study analyzes the transcripts from six retired Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) who participated in three simulated trials of various workloads in a TRACON arrival radar simulation. Results indicated a statistically significant model for predicting LOS based on CLC deviations (CLCD), word count in transmission, words per second, and traffic density. However, more research is required to evaluate the significance of each communication variable to predict LOS.

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