Article
Human Error Analysis of Commercial Aviation Accidents: Application of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS)
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
(2001)
Abstract
Background: The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) is a general human error framework originally developed and tested within the U.S. military as a tool for investigating and analyzing
the human causes of aviation accidents. Based on Reason's (1990) model of latent and active failures, HFACS addresses human error at all levels of the system, including the condition of aircrew and organizational
factors. The purpose of the present study was to assess the utility of the HFACS framework as an error analysis and classification tool outside the military.
Methods: The HFACS framework was used to analyze human error data associated with aircrew-related commercial aviation accidents that occurred between January 1990 and December 1996 using database records maintained by the NTSB and the FAA.
Results: Investigators were able to reliably accommodate all the human causal factors associated with the commercial aviation accidents examined in this study using the HFACS system. In addition, the classification
of data using HFACS highlighted several critical safety issues in need of intervention research.
Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the HFACS framework can be a viable tool for use within the civil aviation arena. However, additional research is needed to examine its applicability to areas outside the flight deck, such as aircraft maintenance and air traffic control domains.Â
Keywords
- aviation safety,
- accident investigation,
- commercial aviation,
- Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS),
- human error,
- aviation accidents
Disciplines
Publication Date
November, 2001
Citation Information
Douglas A. Wiegmann and Scott A. Shappell. "Human Error Analysis of Commercial Aviation Accidents: Application of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS)" Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine Vol. 72 Iss. 11 (2001) p. 1006 - 1016 ISSN: 0095-6562 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/scott-shappell/35/