SLIDE 1 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
Emergency Stress: Improving Pilot performance during unexpected critical events
Wayne Martin Griffith University Aerospace Safety Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Griffith Aviation “Safety Through Education and Research”
SLIDE 2 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
SLIDE 3
The ubiquitous reliability of the modern aircraft has done tremendous things for airline safety. One of the by-products of this tremendous reliability however, is a semi-realistic expectation amongst pilots that things will very rarely ever go wrong.
The curse of ubiquitous normalcy
SLIDE 4 While Pilots may practise emergencies in a simulator for perhaps an avarage of four days a year, the remainder of the 360+ days are often routine and emergency-free. On those rare occasions when things do go wrong, then a lack of expectation and sense of self-efficacy can produce some heightened stress reactions, with negative outcomes
A conditioned expectation of normalcy
SLIDE 5
Turkish Airlines – Amsterdam 2009
Some recent examples of unexpected events
SLIDE 6
Colgan Air – Buffalo 2009
Some recent examples of unexpected events
SLIDE 7
Air France – Atlantic Ocean 2009
Some recent examples of unexpected events
SLIDE 8
Emotional Response in the Human brain
So why do pilots underperform during these critical events? The answer lies in the brain….
SLIDE 9 Emotional Response in the Human Brain
Thalamus
Emotional Stimulus Amygdala LA CE Freezing Blood Pressure Hormones Startle Reflex CG LH PVN RPC
SLIDE 10
Emotional Response in the Human Brain
EMOTIONAL STIMULUS EMOTIONAL RESPONSE SENSORY THALAMUS AMYGDALA SENSORY CORTEX QUICK and DIRTY ROUTE PROCESSING ROUTE (14+ms) (700+ms)
SLIDE 11
Hypothalamus Activates adrenal medulla Activates sympathetic nervous system Activates the adrenal- cortical system by releasing CRF Pituitary Gland secretes hormone ACTH Releases norepinephrine ACTH arrives at the adrenal cortex and releases approx. 30 hormones bloodstream Releases epinephrine Impulses activate glands and smooth muscles Neural activity combines with hormones in the bloodstream to constitute fight-or-flight response
Emotional Response (Fight or Flight)
Amygdala
SLIDE 12
Emotional Response in the Human body
Activation of the sympathetic nervous system then has the following effects: § dilates the pupils and opens the eyelids § stimulates the sweat glands § increases the heart rate § opens up the bronchial tubes of the lungs § inhibits the secretions in the digestive system § creates auditory exclusion and tunnel vision § dilates the blood vessels in large muscles (300% increase in blood flow) § constricts the blood vessels in the rest of the body § diminishes processing in the frontal cortex
SLIDE 13 Mortality Salience is: ‘the enhanced awareness that people engaged in dangerous tasks have of the likelihood of personal injury or death’ In the context of an aircraft emergency, this realisation presents itself as an appraisal that a situation is life threatening or potentially ‘harmful’.
Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
Dynamic Mortality Salience
SLIDE 14 Ignore Environmental Event Primary Appraisal Loss/ Harm Threat/Challenge Assign Attentional Resource Secondary Appraisal Normal Information Processing Perception Benign, Positive
Defence or Coping Mechanism Employed Emotion Focussed Coping Problem Focussed Coping Attentional Channelling Perception Degraded Information Processing Reappraisal OR
A ¡Conceptual ¡Model ¡of ¡Appraisal ¡and ¡Information ¡Processing ¡
SLIDE 15 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
Cues Eyes Ears Nose Touch Taste Situation Assessment Action Generation Hypothesis Generation Choice Action Attention and Perception Risk Assessment
Long Term Memory
NATURALISTIC DECISION MAKING
SLIDE 16 REDUCING PATHOLOGICAL STRESS EFFECTS
So how do we improve performance under acutely stressful conditions?
- By increasing level of expectation
- By increasing knowledge breadth and depth to
allow more experiential based choices during naturalistic decision making
- By increasing sense of efficacy and thereby
engendering more positive appraisals
Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
SLIDE 17 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
What would you do if....?
§ A ten week pilot study at a New Zealand based International Airline § Designed to gauge attitudes to scenario based discussions of novel and emergency inflight events § Participants encouraged to discuss during quiet periods in the cruise, what they would do if something unusual and/or unexpected happened § Very positive results
Griffith Aviation “Safety Through Education and Research”
SLIDE 18 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
Griffith Aviation “Safety Through Education and Research”
Do you think that these discussions have raised your expectation level for surprise events?
SLIDE 19 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
As a result of these discussions do you think that you would be better prepared to handle one of these novel or emergency events if it happened unexpectedly?
Griffith Aviation “Safety Through Education and Research”
SLIDE 20 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
Summary
§ The ubiquitous reliability of the modern aircraft engenders a conditioning toward an expectation of normalcy. § The key to overcoming pathological stress effects arising from this conditioned state, is to increase expectation and efficacy amongst the pilot group. § While scenario based learning is common in military and training operations, a change in pilot culture is needed to make this common place in normal line
Griffith Aviation “Safety Through Education and Research”
SLIDE 21 Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
Summary
§ Interventions such as IATA’s ITQI / EBT are starting to focus training interventions on the type of events that do occur most regularly in modern aircraft. § As well as the common problems, these types of initiatives also allow pilots to practise managing ‘black swan’ or rare event scenarios, and to develop some strategies for dealing with unusual events. § Holistically applied initiatives to develop Pilot efficacy and management capabilities can only have positive effects on performance under stress.
Griffith Aviation “Safety Through Education and Research”
SLIDE 22 QUESTIONS?
Griffith Aerospace Safety Centre
