The Top 12 Reasons for Miscommunication between Pilots and Controllers

And how to avoid them. In aviation, clear and timely communication is crucial for safety. Any misunderstanding or miscommunication between pilot and ground could potentially be disastrous. Simply being aware of these top 12 reasons is the first important step to avoiding them. 1. Callsign Confusion Aircraft callsign confusion is an annoyance throughout the world and has been implicated in many incidents when pilots have accepted clearances meant for others. There have been calls in the UK and North America for a central system for controlling the allocation of callsigns (Canadian Aviation Safety Board, 1990). It is not unheard of for there to be several aircraft with similar callsigns on the same frequency. In Asia, number 8 is considered to be a very lucky number, so you can imagine the likelihood of incidents arising from callsign confusion in this region. Solution: Controllers need to ensure that instructions are received by the correct aircraft. In addition, pilots also need to ensure that they readback the instruction that is intended for them. *Tip: Practicing listening to numbers spoken in different accents and also practicing the pronunciation of numbers is a MUST for any pilot flying internationally. 2. Absent-mindedness (or slips, as it is commonly referred to) Absent-mindedness is a form of miscommunication which controllers and pilots will make occasionally. For instance, a controller may routinely assign the same level for descent to arriving aircraft. But on the one occasion that conflicting traffic at that level has been noted, the controller may still absent-mindedly assign that level to an inbound aircraft instead of providing level separation. Such slips are usually linked to worry about a personal problem or an external distraction at the time. They are not signs of incompetence but of misapplied competence. They are a problem of experts, not of beginners. The chance of making an absent-minded slip increases as we become more experienced and skilled at an activity and perform tasks automatically. Solution: Additional training may not be the answer here; instead, experienced controllers and pilots should learn to expect the unexpected, look for inconsistences and not react as if the mind is on autopilot.

3. Ambiguity Ambiguity (vagueness) can happen due to many features of verbal communications. It has been a factor in many aviation accidents such as the 1992 Air Inter Flight 148 crash on Mont Sainte-Odile in France which killed 87 people where, because of the use of less-than-optimum phraseology by both the flight crew and the controller, their respective intentions and expectations were ambiguous. This led to a sudden increase in workload for the crew just before the crash (Paris, 1996). Workload and the stress of abnormal situations may increase imprecision and inaccuracies. Colloquial speech (plain English) may confuse pilots or controllers and restrict the flow of information between them. This in turn reduces situational awareness (Morrow and Rodvold, 1998). A lack of definition can also be included here when controllers and pilots have differing understandings of words and procedures. Solution: To practice standard phraseology and use it at all times. *Tip: It is also advisable to improve your comprehension of aviation English vocabulary for abnormal situations, in case you are involved in an emergency and plain English is used as a form of communication. Here is a great resource for that. 4. Emergencies You all know that in emergency situations a pilot must aviate, navigate and communicate. This means that tasks become the priority for pilots and controllers and they may be distracted and communicate less effectively due to the workload. Solution: To concentrate on delivering slow, clear speech using standard phraseology whenever possible. Controllers have the additional task of ensuring that the distraction with an emergency does not cause slips with communications with other aircraft. 5. Different Voices Voices become familiar, and it can confuse the pilot if a different controller from the one expected replies; and similarly it can confuse the controller if parts of a single dialogue with the crew of an aircraft are with different crew members. A controller may be unsure that the correct aircraft has received the instructions, especially since pilots sometimes mix up their callsigns if they have flown several different aircraft recently. Solution: Ensure that you listen closely to the callsign and instruction and readback correctly. Communication is two-way, as is the responsibility to avoid miscommunication.

6. Speaking different languages When flying internationally you will encounter controllers who communicate with aircraft from their country in their native language, and pilots will also reply in their native language. There are also numerous occasions when you will hear speakers of the same language communicating with different dialects or using colloquial expressions. This can lead to serious problems and often cases of poor situational awareness due to lack of understanding. A well-known example of this was the Tenerife disaster in 1977. Solution: To use ONLY English, the language of aviation and to broaden your knowledge of plain English for abnormal situations to increase your chances of being able to comprehend colloquial communication if faced with it. *Tip: You should be proactive in checking your own English level according to ICAO standards, regardless of your ICAO English exam score because not all exams give the same results. Here is a resource for accurately checking your own level. 7. Pronunciation Poor pronunciation by controllers or pilots leads to lack of understanding. The receiver is confused about what has been heard. Many controllers are not aware that they have inadequate pronunciation and that it is the reason for unacknowledged instructions or requests for message repeats. Some people find certain words very difficult to pronounce, especially when they are busy, so, for example, Juliet Juliet Tango becomes Jew Jew Tango and a Bulls 2 arrival becomes Buws 2 arrival. Solution: You must listen to good clear pronunciation of RT Phraseology and repeat what you hear. *Tip: For best results, you should schedule a private face to face lesson with an English teacher to check your own pronunciation. The latest voice recognition technology can also be effective. 8. Number Problems As with callsign confusion, errors with callsigns, levels, heading, speeds, tracks, winds, latitudes and longitudes, and so on are also common. It seems to occur most often when controllers give headings and distances together with altitudes. Numbers are likely to be moved around and the error may not be picked up in the pilot readback. It is also possible for the pilot to read it back correctly but enter the number in the wrong sequence into the aircrafts flight management system. Solution: It is vital for pilots and controllers to practice listening to real ATC communications spoken in different accents, especially those accents that may be encountered on a regular basis during flight operations. For example, if a pilot regularly

operates routes between France and Argentina, it would be advisable to be exposed to English being spoken by French, North American, Brazilian and Spanish speakers. *Tip: You can gain this practice by listening to live ATC streams and also by recording the communications during a flight and listening to them over and over again. Also, correct and complete RT transmissions must be adhered to. Here is a great resource. 9. Readback Error Readback errors have been referred to in number 8 above. Readback of applicable parts of a controllers instructions does not guarantee that the readback message has been accurately received. Too often, confirmation is given of an incorrect readback. The Aviation Safety Reporting System (USA) has labelled this phenomenon hearback and cited four major causes (Hawkins, 1993:167): similar aircraft callsigns, resulting in confusion in transmission or reception; only one pilot on board working and monitoring the frequency; numerical errors, such as confusing one zero thousand with one one thousand; expectancyhearing what one expects to hear. Solution: Those that apply to reasons 2 and 8 10. Expectation Messages are misunderstood because the listener incorrectly assumes the intended message. Expectation errors are a dangerous type of miscommunication because readbacks may indicate that the message has been received correctly when, in fact, it has not. Here is an example: Pilot: speed 315 knots Controller: Maintain 280 Pilot: 280 knots The pilot slowed the aircraft to 280 knots and continued climbing. As it climbed through FL295, the controller said that the aircraft was cleared only to FL280. In this case, the controller was communicating about airspeed and failed to indicate, due to his poor phraseologies (i.e. not saying maintain flight level 280), that the subject had changed to altitude. He also failed to hear the details of the readback and missed the pilot saying knots. Solution: Again, correct phraseology and paying close attention to detail is the key to prevent miscommunication here. Always listen out for important information in readbacks. In abnormal situations this is even more crucial when the workload is even greater than normal. 11. Language Use The English language becomes complex for aviation when it is used for a variety of functions, such as: statement, question, request, and so on. Subtle differences in intonation and placement of pauses affects the way we interpret words. When involved

in an abnormal or emergency situation we may be distracted or stressed and the subtle features of English that keep communication free of errors may be missed out or moved, resulting in miscommunication. You will have all heard the communication between an Air China pilot and a controller at JFK airport. The Air China pilot had a very low level of English and was taxiing to the gate. The controller instructing him was a native North American who was using standard phraseology and plain English. Controller: Air China 981, have they cleared you into the ramp? Pilot: Roger, ramp Air China 981 Controller: Air China 981, have you been cleared into the ramp? Ok, cleared to the ramp. You can watch and listen to it here. Solution: Once again, familiarity of standard phraseology, and the ability to understand and use the following English language structures will be invaluable Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Past Simple and passive. *Tip: You must also gain practice in listening to different accents of English and practice clear pronunciation with an English teacher, preferably an aviation English specialist. 12. Speed of Delivery and Pauses The rapid speed at which controllers deliver instructions is probably the most common miscommunication complaint received from pilots. Solution: During peak traffic periods, controllers in some positions may be talking constantly. Actively listen to all transmissions. Use the information gained from listening to build
your situational awareness and to assist you to see-and-avoid other aircraft. Be alert to your own call sign.

Additional contributing factors to miscommunication As well as the reasons listed above, miscommunication can also be associated with human factors such as complacency, fatigue, lack of professionalism, personal problems, and so on. Problems with microphones, headsets and interference are also issues to be aware of that are not discussed above.

Written by Rachel Shieff

About The Author

Rachel Shieff, described as one of the top ICAO English raters in the world by members of the ICAO English standardisation board, is an Aviation English Specialist and consultant who has trained 100s of pilots in Asia and Europe to successfully improve their English level and has over 14 years experience in training and the development of ICAO compliant Aviation English tests. Contact her at this website: www.AviationEnglishWorld.com Visit her facebook page