New cockpit warning and alert systems

AOC Number

22

Primary domain

T

Secondary domain

PERS, OP

Description

Advanced audio, tactile, and visual warning systems in aircraft cockpits.

Input from Allan Dunville, Bombardier?

Potential hazards

1. Proliferation of caution/warning systems and alerts overwhelming the perceptual and cognitive abilities of the flight crew in critical phases of flight
2. Changing crew workload
3. Decreased situational awareness
4. Failure to harmonize/optimize certification requirements for caution/warning systems including coordination and prioritization for multiple alert conditions.
5. Differences among automation use policies among different airlines may affect caution/warning implementations.Consideration of prioritization, total workload, and required situational awareness must precede implementation of such systems.
6. NextGen/SESAR hazard condition: Conformance Monitor generates excessive false / nuisance alerts. Associated human performance hazards:
   1. Flight crew ignores accurate conformance alert and fails to issue corrective instructions for a true alert.
   2. Flight crew becomes overly reliant on automation, fails to notice deviation when not alerted.
   3. Flight crew fails to confirm validity of conformance alert.

Corroborating sources and comments

• Transport Canada, Advisory Circular (AC) No. 500-001, Audio Alerts and Warnings, June 2007
• Future Flight Decks, P. Douglas Arbuckle, Kathy H. Abbott, Terence S. Abbott and Paul C. Schutte, 21st Congress, International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Paper Number 98-1.9.3

Last update

Unknown (link with AoC95 in ATC domain)