Citation

Drury CG, Guy KP, Wenner CA. Int. J. Aviat. Psychol. 2010; 20(2): 124-143.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10508411003617771

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

As part of the Federal Aviation Administration's response to the 1997 crash of ValuJet Flight 592, the potential for human errors unique to the aviation third-party repair station environment was investigated. Data collected at 5 U.S. and 1 foreign repair stations disclosed a number of opportunities for errors arising from the more complex interactions among the repair station, the airline customers, and the regulatory authority. Two quantitative studies gathered data to test for 1 expected problem: that of using multiple formats of procedure document. First, a repair station error database was analyzed and concluded that ?information? (e.g., documentation) was a significant causal factor associated with specific error types. Second, although repair stations must switch frequently between the documentation systems of different airlines, a task card comprehension study did not find increased error rates from changing document formats. With 54 licensed mechanics, well-designed procedure documentation greatly reduced comprehension errors. Improved documentation by following human factors good practice is recommended as a strategy to mitigate error potential for the repair stations where work is outsourced.