Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Bryan Forsyth

Abstract

Human factors contribute to approximately 75% of aviation accidents. The lack of effective flight deck communication has caused numerous aviation accidents which has resulted in the loss of many human lives. The specific management problem was that standardized flight deck communication of airline pilots may not be sufficient to prevent aviation accidents. The focus of the study was the lived flight deck communication experiences of North American pilots. Using the Observer Model of Communicology formed the conceptual framework for this study, 15 participants were selected, using purposive sampling. Data collection was accomplished via one-on-one interviews. Coding and thematic analysis were used in this descriptive phenomenological study to analyze and interpret the data. Key findings were that pilots and air traffic controllers sometimes depart from the use of aviation standard phraseology using colloquial slang terms despite English being the universal language. This causes confusion and miscommunication that sometimes negatively affected group communication when it occurred. Power differential in the cockpit was also found to be a contributing factor. Recommendations for future research include using a wider participant pool outside the US may yield additional results. Adding a quantitative approach in the future may yield additional vital information. The findings of this study contribute to social change by identifying critical cockpit communication issues that pilots, air traffic controllers, leaders, and stakeholders can use to develop and implement tools to enhance communication in the cockpit and with other aviators that could reduce and prevent aviation accidents averting billions of dollars in losses and preservation of human life.

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