A Simulator Study of the Effect of Information Load and Datalink on Crew Error

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of air traffic control (ATC) induced information load and ATC communication modality on crew error in a fixed-base Boeing 747-400 flight deck simulator. To accomplish this, data from an experiment conducted by Boeing (Logan, et al., 1992) were re-analyzed. In this experiment, flightcrews engaged in two high-fidelity, full-mission scenarios. For this re-analysis, the variability in the amount of information ATC transmitted to the crew in the scheduled clearances was examined as an independent variable. To quantify this measure of information load, each scheduled ATC clearance was decomposed into mutually exclusive informational units called propositions. Each proposition consisted of one discrete “chunk” of information. On average, ATC clearances in the high information load condition contained more than two and a half times as many propositions as clearances in the low information load condition. Flightcrews made significantly more errors, and more errors per proposition, in the high information load condition than in the low information load condition. This indicates that it was the density of the information, or how many propositions were packed into each clearance, and not just the quantity of information which affected crew performance. Another manipulated variable was ATC communication modality. Each flightcrew participated in one scenario using a standard voice communications modality exclusively and in the other scenario using a combination of voice and digital DataLink. Though flightcrew error was significantly lower in the DataLink condition than the voice condition, this tendency was moderated by information load. In the low information load condition, flightcrews committed approximately the same number of errors in the voice and DataLink conditions, but in the high information load condition, flightcrews committed many more errors in the voice condition than the DataLink condition.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Brown

J.A.

(1958). Some tests of the decay hypothesis of immediate memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 10, 12–21.

Brown

Yule

(1983). Discourse analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hinton

D.A.

Lohr

G.W.

(1988). Simulator investigation of digital Data Link ATC communications in a single pilot operation. NASA TP-2837, Moffet Field, CA.

Hurst

(Eds.). (1982). Pilot error: The human factors. Jason Aronson: New York.

Knox

C.E.

Scanlon

C.H.

(1991). Flight tests with a Data Link used for air traffic control information exchange. NASA TP-3135, Moffet Field, CA.

Logan

A.L.

Groce

J.L.

Dresel

K.M.

Infield

S.E.

(1992). Applying human error theory to flight deck design and procedures. FAA Contract DTFA01-90-C-00056.

Miller

G.A.

(1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63, 81–97.

Ogden

G.D.

Levine

J.M.

Eisner

E.J.

(1979). Measurement of workload by secondary tasks. Human Factors, 21, 529–548.

Peterson

L.R.

Peterson

M.J.

(1959). Short-term retention of individual verbal items. Journal or Experimental Psychology, 58 195–198.

10.

Ruffel-Smith

H.P.

(1979). A simulator study of the interaction of pilot workload with errors, vigilence, and decisions. NASA-TM-78482, Moffet Field, CA.

11.

U.S. Department of Transportation. (1985). National airspace system plan. Project 12: Mode S/Data Link. Washington, DC.

12.

Waller

M.C.

(1992). Flight deck benefits of integrated data link communication. NASA-TP-3219, Moffet Field, CA.

13.

Waller

M.C.

Lohr

G.W.

(1989). A piloted simulation study of Data Link ATC message exchange. NASA TP-2859, Moffet Field, CA.

14.

Wickens

(1984). Engineering psychology and human performance. Merrill: Columbus, OH.