© Chris Sorensen Photography | 25 FLIGHTSAFETY.ORG | AEROSAFETY WORLD | OCTOBER 2012 HUMAN FACTORS N on-standard phraseology and local pilots’ use of languages other than stan- dard aviation English “routinely” cause misunderstandings in radio communi- cation between pilots and air traffic controllers — difficulties that raise concerns even though they are rarely cited as causal or contributing factors in aviation accidents and incidents, ac- cording to a study of aviation phraseology. The study — conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in collaboration with the International Federation of Air Line Pi- lots’ Associations (IFALPA) and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA) — cited “ambiguity in general aviation language” and the use of slang instead of standard phraseology as leading factors in increasing the likelihood of communication errors. Other problems included the “rate of speech delivery” — typically, a pilot or controller speaking too quickly to be understood — and the accents and pronunciation difficulties of non-native English speakers, the report on the study said. The document characterized the use of non-standard phraseology as “a major obstacle to pilots’ and controllers’ effective communica- tions. Standard phraseology helps significantly by reducing any ambiguities of spoken language and hence promotes a common understanding among people of different native languages or of the same native language but who use or under- stand words differently.” The report, published by IATA in late 2011, was based on the anonymous responses of 2,070 airline pilots and 568 air traffic controllers around the world to similar questionnaires that were devised for members of each group. Of the participating pilots, 55 percent were airline captains and 40 percent were airline first officers; the remaining 5 percent held a variety of other positions, including those as managers, safety officers or instructors. Ninety-two percent of questionnaire respondents were jet pilots, 6 Putting It Into Words Non-standard phrases, slang and rapid-fire speech hinder pilot–controller communications. BY LINDA WERFELMAN
