NTL Record

Title An Analysis of Tower (Local) Controller - Pilot Voice Communications
Record ID 33513
Personal Name
Creator
Cardosi, K. M.
Source 32p. in various pagings
Corporate Creator John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration
Publication Date 19940600
Language English
Abstract The purposes of this analysis were to examine current pilot-controller communication practices in the terminal environment. Forty-nine hours of voice tapes from local positions in ten Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs) were examined. There were 8,444 controller-to-pi lot messages (e.g., clearances to takeoff or land, instructions to hold short or change radio frequencies, etc.) examined in this study. The complexity of the controller's message (i.e., the number of pieces of Information) was examined and the number of erroneous readbacks and pilot requests for repeats were analyzed as a function of message complexity. Pilot acknowledgements were also analyzed; the numbers of full and partial readbacks, and acknowledgements only (i.e., "roger") were tallied. Fewer than one percent of the messages resulted in connunications errors. Among the error factors examined were: complexity of the message, type of acknowledgement, use of call sign in the acknowledgement, type of information in error, and whether or not the controller responded to the readback error. Instances in which the controller contacted the aircraft with one call sign and the pilot acknowledged the transmission with another call sign were also examined. The report concludes with recommendations to further reduce the probability of communication errors.
Rosap ID dot:8652
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8652
TRT Terms Air traffic control; Communication and control; Communication systems; Speech; Voice communication; Air traffic
General Subjects Pilot-Controller Communications
Classification NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Human Factors
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Contract Number FA4 L1 / A4 1 1 2
Report Number DOT-VNTSC-FAA-94-11; DOT/FAA/RD-94/15
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/33000/33500/33513/33513.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository