Address pilot-in-command as Captain or by first name; not Sir: AI Express – Times of India
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NEW DELHI: Air India Express has asked its pilots to address the pilot-in-command (PIC) of there flight “by first name or simply as captain,” in a bid to improve crew resource management (CRM).
Captain V S Rajkumar, the airline’s chief of operations, in a communication topmost on Friday (August 20) advised this following a reported lack of coordination among two pilots on a flight that had led to a tail strike and the aircraft landing gear contacting airport perimeter wall during take off.
Aviation website Skybrary describes CRM as “the effective use of all available resources for flight crew personnel to assure a safe and efficient operation, reducing error, avoiding stress and increasing efficiency.”
The incident referred to is of an AI Express flight on October 12, 2018, not meeting take off performance and the aircraft wheels contacting the airport perimeter wall, thereby damaging the underbelly. The aircraft retuned to Trichy safely.
“The investigation report of Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has confirmed that the cause of the accident was ‘delayed take-off due to reduction of take-off thrust N1 from 98% to 77% before reaching V1, inability of both the crew members to monitor the thrust parameters and to take timely corrective action,” Captain Rajkumar’s communication says.
“The contributory factor being mechanical failure of PIC seat back rest recliner mechanism during take-off roll and breakdown of Crew coordination… resulting in a tail strike and subsequently the aircraft impacting the localizer antenna and boundary wall of the airport.”
“While all causative factors brought out by AAIB are being addressed, this circular aims to target the breakdown of CRM in the subject incident. It is proposed that in order to improve CRM and reduce trans-cockpit-authority-gradient, a more informal cockpit environment is required. This may be a generational and culture shift which has built up over the years and may take time to be fully accepted and reap results. However, as a first step, henceforth, first officers shall address the PIC not as ‘Sir’ but by first name or simply as ‘Captain’,” the operations circular adds.
Captain V S Rajkumar, the airline’s chief of operations, in a communication topmost on Friday (August 20) advised this following a reported lack of coordination among two pilots on a flight that had led to a tail strike and the aircraft landing gear contacting airport perimeter wall during take off.
Aviation website Skybrary describes CRM as “the effective use of all available resources for flight crew personnel to assure a safe and efficient operation, reducing error, avoiding stress and increasing efficiency.”
The incident referred to is of an AI Express flight on October 12, 2018, not meeting take off performance and the aircraft wheels contacting the airport perimeter wall, thereby damaging the underbelly. The aircraft retuned to Trichy safely.
“The investigation report of Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has confirmed that the cause of the accident was ‘delayed take-off due to reduction of take-off thrust N1 from 98% to 77% before reaching V1, inability of both the crew members to monitor the thrust parameters and to take timely corrective action,” Captain Rajkumar’s communication says.
“The contributory factor being mechanical failure of PIC seat back rest recliner mechanism during take-off roll and breakdown of Crew coordination… resulting in a tail strike and subsequently the aircraft impacting the localizer antenna and boundary wall of the airport.”
“While all causative factors brought out by AAIB are being addressed, this circular aims to target the breakdown of CRM in the subject incident. It is proposed that in order to improve CRM and reduce trans-cockpit-authority-gradient, a more informal cockpit environment is required. This may be a generational and culture shift which has built up over the years and may take time to be fully accepted and reap results. However, as a first step, henceforth, first officers shall address the PIC not as ‘Sir’ but by first name or simply as ‘Captain’,” the operations circular adds.
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