CRM leads to better communication in the cockpit

Aviation’s worst disaster occurred on March 27, 1977, when two 747s collided on a runway in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Five hundred and eightythree people were killed in an accident that should not have happened.

The next year, a United DC-8 landed short of the runway near Portland, Ore., out of fuel. Ten passengers lost their lives.

Neither accident should have happened, because crewmembers knew things were going wrong but could not persuade the captain.

Aviation had to create a way for crewmembers to effectively communicate safety concerns. Crew Resource Management (CRM) was born.

The concept of CRM is that everyone is responsible for safety. Although the captain is in command, he or she must take into account safety concerns from fellow crewmembers. We began to build better teams flying the airplanes.

In 1989, United Flight 232 had an engine explode, crippling the DC-10. The explosion sent shrapnel through the tail, severing hydraulic lines in all three systems. The jet was uncontrollable. Using CRM, the captain and crew, along with a DC-10 instructor who was flying as a passenger, managed to gain limited control of the crippled airliner. They landed in Sioux City, Iowa, destroying the airplane, but 185 survived. CRM built the team that flew a nearly unflyable jet.

Today, CRM is a major component of every airline safety program, and it is a contributor to the lower accident rate we see today.