EFB Human Factors Considerations
Electronic Flight Bag Moving Map Applications are designed to boost our situational awareness, making briefing, planning, and in-flight experiences safer + more efficient. But what happens when the user doesn’t know the device functionality, or becomes complacent, dependent, fixated, distracted, or suffers from confirmation bias?
In this blog post we’re looking at Electronic Flight Bag Human Factors. As iPad/Tablet Technology has marched ahead rapidly since 2010, so has our fascination with it. We humans are guilty of watching smart-phone screens while driving cars or walking across busy streets. The challenge for us as aviators is to discipline ourselves by maintaining an adequate Visual lookout or Instrument Scan to maintain flying-accuracy, while not allowing our attention to be drawn excessively to the potential “eye-magnet” AKA Device. We know from our training that in VMC approximately 90% of your time should be spent assessing Lookout, Pitch, & Roll Attitude with the remainder of your time spent assessing Performance or other items inside the cockpit. Most of us will remember our instructors endless cries… “Lookout- Attitude- Performance”! or equivalent Work-cycle Scan Cues. In IMC a similar choice of where to focus our attention is required, although the 90-95% is now on the AI/AH. Ideally an EFB is a “set and forget” tool for most of the flight. Think of the device as if it was a paper chart and compare how often you used to refer to that, although for this approach we need to thoroughly understand a few things.
Our Human Factor limitations can leave us exposed to unconsidered threats which could lead to errors while using EFB. In order to avoid latent threats, we firstly need to ask ourselves: Can we trust the information and is it up to date? What’s the responsibility of the flight crew and have we pre-flighted our device and mount if applicable? If flying commercially, how can the company guard against organisational threats? Usually the answers can be found in the relevant air-law material, for example in Australia being compliant with CAO 82.0 (Appendix 9) under an AOC or in New Zealand complying with CAA AC91-20. The relevant company EFB Ops Manual Supplement, a robust SMS, and having a good understanding of advisory publications such as CAAP 233-1(1) are necessary. Hopefully soon we will see the use of EFB included in relevant flight-training syllabus, such as the Part 61 MOS in Australia. As it currently stands, newly qualified pilots are mostly using EFB in flight for the first time after they have finished their training and achieved a license.
The study of Human Factors (HF) looks at how the human body and mind can effect human capabilities and limitations. So which specific Human Factors relate to the use of iPad/Tablet technology in the cockpit? It is known that approximately 75-80% of aircraft accidents are in some way caused by HF deficiencies- Let’s not add to this with inadequate use of our EFB, which should enhance SA, not degrade it. In an effort to “define and quantify” Airmanship, Competency Based training now looks at:
1) Relevant HF Knowledge (e.g. effect of stress, fatigue, drugs etc) and;
2) Good HF (Non-Technical) Skills (simply one tool to assist with TEM). These skills are:
• An adequate lookout
• Maintaining Situational Awareness using gathered information
• Quality Decision Making, particularly by referencing accurate data.
• Adequately prioritising and managing tasks- Especially when the workload builds up.
• And finally, Effective Communication. This applies to both multicrew and single pilot operations.
Over dependence on automation such as EFB can make us less cautious to external threats like other aircraft, birds, and inadvertent flight into cloud. We can get ourselves into trouble just as with other tools by failing to cross-check data entry, and flying excessively close to airspace boundaries. Remember, the GPS in your Wi-Fi + Cellular/LTE device is good, but is not TSO approved. The traffic Function is a handy tool, but beware of “Confirmation Bias” and assuming all the traffic are visible on the screen. And of course, device failure can create stress! In future articles we’ll look at causes of failure such as Overheating, Flat Battery, or device malfunction. Most of these are within our power to avoid, just as an adequate knowledge of Operating System and in-App functions, which will also make your flight much smoother.
Some of you may remember the incident involving Emirates A345 in Melbourne on March 20th, 2009. The EFB was directly linked to the Flight Management System, with the First Officer inadvertently entering a weight 100-tonnes less than the actual weight. The captain was distracted whilst checking take-off performance and did not cross check. As a result, the Flight Management System selected low engine thrust settings and low take-off speeds causing the tail to strike the surface 269m before the runway end with the main landing gear to leave the ground 115m past the end of the runway. Now yes this is an extreme example, but the contributing factors are similar to those which could reduce our safety margins in the middle of a standard flight, risking at the very least inaccurate flying and increased workload, and at most an Undesired Aircraft State, Bird Strike, or even IIMC/CFIT.
Then there is one of a few prime GA examples found in NTSB report GAA18CA157. On March 12, 2018 in Rockford, Illinois a CESSNA 182, crashed during final approach. “The pilot reported that during landing, about 20 ft above ground level and about 80 kts, he reached for his iPad. He took his eyes off the runway to grab the device that was located on the seat next to him, and the airplane collided with the ground in a nose-down attitude. The pilot reported that he should not have taken his eyes off the runway during landing”. Fortunately the pilot was uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage and associated components…. Mmmmm
In 1993 while working for Transport Canada, Gordon Dupont wrote about the “Dirty Dozen”- The 12 most common Human Factor causes of errors in aviation maintenance. Two key “Dirty Dozen” contributors to these events were Distraction; and Complacency.
Now rather than allowing our work cycle scan or navigation work-cycle to be degraded, what can we do to continually get the most out of the truly awesome technology that EFB provides? The answer lies in both Planning and Execution Countermeasures:
Planning Countermeasures
• Adjust Operating System and in-App settings to reduce workload.
• Have adequate device redundancy and size.
• Become more familiar with the EFB system and in-App functions
• Be proficient with the company EFB Ops Manual Supplement and SOP’s
• Pre-Flight your EFB, mount, and other hardware.
• Pre-load aerodrome charts or Instrument approach plates.
• Instructors should include device failure during training, just as they would with other in-flight equipment and instrumentation.
• Ask yourself what actions/conditions/events are likely to promote errors, therefore identifying threats! e.g. “If I’m unfamiliar with the airspace and radio frequencies, I should do the necessary preparation to prevent my eyes from being drawn to the EFB in flight when the airspace is potentially busiest.”
Execution Countermeasures
• Prioritising lookout and maintenance of Situational Awareness
• Gaining primary performance information from the instrument console, not the EFB
• Thinking about information you would like to receive from your EFB before looking at it, for a PRE-DETERMINED amount of time.
• DON’T Fixate, make it a conscious choice if you can, requires practice for new tasks.
• Cross-check information
• Prioritise tasks and manage workload. Complete tasks early.
• Ensure aircraft and EFB are in the correct configuration.
• Do not depend on EFB as a 100% traffic information solution.
Until next time, fly safe and check out our NEW online EFB Course to gain greater knowledge of EFB functionality and requirements (https://www.airspaceflightsolutions.com/store/asia-pacific-efb-training-course).
Feel free to email me on andrew@airspaceflightsolutions.com.au with questions or for more information.