FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-03/19

Title and Subtitle: FAA Strategies for Reducing Operational Error Causal Factors

Report Date: November 2003

Authors: Pounds J, Ferrante AS

Abstract: The FAA has historically tried to understand and mitigate the incidence of operational errors (OEs), focusing on the critical component of the system—the closest person to the air traffic situation and the last point of prevention—the air traffic controller. With the human element as the foundation of such a complex system, several initiatives by the FAA Office of Evaluations and Investigations Staff include: have focused on human performance within, and interacting with, the larger system. These have included implementing a coordinated system of investigations to identify causal factors, fielding automation to re-create events, developing metrics to categorize OE severity, and sponsoring unique performance enhancement programs.

Key Words: Air Traffic Control, Causal Factors, ATC Performance, Operational Errors, Human Factors

No. of Pages: 14